Phenotypic heterogeneity within clones of fetal human cells.

The heterogeneity of cell morphology characteristics of some colonies of human fetal kidney and amniotic fluid cells has been analyzed by biochemical and cell-cloning techniques. All the presumed subclones derived from dimorphic colonies were initially epithelioid, but some cells became fibroblastlike as the cell density increased. To determine if the observed heterogeneity occurred within clonal populations of cells, we determined the isozyme phenotype of dimers from renal cells heterozygous for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). Colonies showing mixed cellular morphology expressed only a single G6PD isozyme, thus revealing their single-cell origin. Our results indicate that cell morphology is influenced by the cellular density within the clone, and that a single human renal cell in vitro can yield progeny of two morphological types.