Karyotypic and Morphologic Characterization of a Serially Transplanted Human Choriocarcinoma2

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Abstract
A human choriocarcinoma adapted to serial passage in the wall of the cheek pouch of the agouti Syrian (golden) hamster was found to possess an unstable and irregular aneuploid karyotype with a modal value of 80 rising to 88–92 after 9 months. The species of origin of the tumor was established as at least predominantly human by several criteria: 1) grouping the chromosomes of individual cells on a morphologic basis yielded a distribution similar to the pattern of the normal human karyotype; 2) prominent satellites, similar to those associated with normal human acrocentric chromosomes, were often present on tumor acrocentric chromosomes; 3) there was an increase, in proportion to the ploidy, in the number of the smaller chromosomes, a feature consistent with the situation in heteroploid tumors of human origin; and 4) the tumor cells displayed a degree of mitotic arrest in response to colchicine compatible with the known sensitivity of human cells to this agent. The morphology of the tumor is described; it remained unchanged during the year of observation, despite the karyotypic instability. The administration of dehydroisoandrosterone, a possible precursor of estrone, led to the increased formation of syncytio-trophoblast, the tissue believed responsible for estrogen production by the placenta.

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