A behavior of Y chromatin in cancer cells of males.

Y-chromatin or Y-body which is present in interphase nuclei in over 78 per cent of somatic male cells varied in frequency and multiplication in malignant tumors. The variation is characteristic of each tumor and kept fairly constant in cultured cell lines unless modulation occurs during continuous subcultures. The variation was due to chromosomal abnormality, aneuploidization or polyploidization, but in part appears to be related to abnormality of intercalary quinacrine binding to chromosomes.