[The cytogenetic characteristics of human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines]

Permanent suspension B-cell lines HSL-1, HSL-2, HSL-3, HSL-4, HSL-5, HSL-8, HSL-9 have been obtained spontaneously from lymphocytes and cells of hematopoietic tissues of patients with various forms of leukemia and tumours. All cell lines contained Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). At early stages of cultivation (6-39th passages) normal karyotypes were established for all the tested lines which testified their origin from normal B-lymphocytes. In the process of cultivation of HSL-1 cell line, which (up to the 63rd passage) contained primarily the normal karyotypes, a substitution for tetraploid ones (92, XX, YY) by the 132nd passage was established. In line HSL-4, a pathological clone of cells with structural chromosome rearrangements (46, XY, -2, -12, der (12) t (2; 12) (p12, p13); del2 (p12), was revealed at the 26th passage. During a prolonged cultivation (up to the 130th passage) this abnormal clone forced out completely the clone with normal karyotype. Substitution of normal clone cells by cells with pathological karyotypes may point to their selective advantage.