CYTOGENETIC INVESTIGATIONS TO CHARACTERIZ E TUMOR-CELLS IN SEMINOMAS .2. ANOMALOUS CHROMOSOME-NUMBERS AND MACRONUCLEUS FORMATION AS FUNCTION OF SPINDLE APPARATUS ABNORMALITIES

Cell cultures of 10 seminomas were investigated as a result of the occ urrence of abnormal spindles, anomalies in chromosome number and micro nucleus formation and were compared to controls. Controls showed a rat e of tetraploid cells in 0.9%, aneuploid cells in 0.5%. Micronuclei we re exhibited in 1% of the cells. The low number of pathological spindl es (1.11%) correlated with polyploidies, aneuploidies and micronucleus rates. In the seminomas, tetraploid (3.7%) and octoploid (0.2%) cells were found. In both ploidy grades, polyploidies and endoreduplication s could be proven. The values were inceased in contrast to the control s. The aneuploidy rate was high in the seminomas. Hypoploid mitoses oc curred in 18.9%, hyperploid mitoses in 26.2%. The number of cells with micronuclei was higher in seminomas (13,1%) than in the controls (1%) . The total decay in many (up to 17) micronuclei was a typical phenome non. A correlation of the parameters aneuploidy rate and micronucleuse s formation with the occurrence of pathologic spindles could be confir med in this investigation.