Increased Susceptibility of Down's Syndrome Fibroblasts to Transformation by SV 10 . ∗

Abstract

Summary

Tissue culture cell strains of foreskin nbroblasts obtained from 5 neonates with Down's Syndrome (trisomy 21-22) were shown to be at least twice as susceptible and, the average, 3 times as susceptible to transformation by the SV40 virus as diploid foreskin nbroblasts from normal neonates. An even greater susceptibility to in vitro SV40 transformation was found in a strain of trisomy 18 nbroblasts. It is suggested that one reason for the increased incidence of neoplasia in Down's Syndrome is a heightened intrinsic susceptibility of the trisomic cells to carcinogenic agents.

We thank C. Sprague and E. Deutsch for excellent technical assistance.