Short-term molecular consequences of chromosome mis-segregation for genome stability.

Chromosome instability (CIN) is the most common form of genome instability and is a hallmark of cancer. CIN invariably leads to aneuploidy, a state of karyotype imbalance. Here, we show that aneuploidy can also trigger CIN.

Experimental Approaches to Generate and Isolate Human Tetraploid Cells.

Cancer cells are frequently affected by large-scale chromosome copy number changes, such as polyploidy or whole chromosome aneuploidy, and thus understanding the consequences of these changes is important for cancer research. In the past, it has been difficult to study the consequences of large-scale genomic changes, especially in pure isogenic populations. Here, we describe two methods to generate tetraploid cells induced either by cytokinesis failure or mitotic slippage.

Genetic instability from a single S phase after whole-genome duplication.

Diploid and stable karyotypes are associated with health and fitness in animals. By contrast, whole-genome duplications-doublings of the entire complement of chromosomes-are linked to genetic instability and frequently found in human cancers. It has been established that whole-genome duplications fuel chromosome instability through abnormal mitosis; however, the immediate consequences of tetraploidy in the first interphase are not known.