Clonal structural chromosomal rearrangements in lymphocytes of four patients with Werner's syndrome

Multiple numerical and structural chromosome abnormalities were found in cultured lymphocytes of four patients with Werner's syndrome. The proportion of metaphases with structural and/or numerical aberrations varied from 30 to 44% and several of them were clonal. These results confirm definitively that Werner's syndrome is a chromosome rearrangement syndrome and that these non-constitutional chromosome changes are not exclusive of cultured fibroblasts but present also in lymphocytes.