Specific chromosome loss associated with the expression of tumorigenicity in human cell hybrids.

Four related nontumorigenic and tumorigenic HeLa x fibroblast intraspecific human hybrid cell lines were analyzed to determine whether specific chromosome(s) are associated with the control of tumorigenic expression. The loss of one copy each of both chromosome 11 and chromosome 14 were associated, with a high degree of statistical significance, with the expression of tumorigenicity in two segregants derived from the original nontumorigenic hybrid population. Although the parental origin of the chromosomes could not be established in this study, our preliminary results suggest that complex, genetically determined, regulatory interactions may operate in the control of neoplastic expression.