Sex Chromatin in Polyploid Nuclei of Human Amnion Epithelium

Abstract

IN previous reports from this laboratory it was noted that two or more sex chromatin bodies are present in some female nuclei, particularly in those from amnion epithelium^1–3. Barr and Moore⁴ found multiple sex chromatin in some nuclei from malignant tumours and suggested that this is due to hyper-ploidy. Myers⁵ described multiple sex chromatin in teratomas. Atkin⁶ found that 7 out of 65 malignant tumours from females had two sex chromatin-like bodies per nucleus. He assumed that these nuclei were tetraploid and confirmed this with the aid of chromosome counts and estimations of deoxyribonucleic acid. It was of interest to determine if in non-pathological tissue the female nuclei in which we had found more than one sex chromatin body were of a polyploid nature and whether the occasional sex chromatin-like structure in male nuclei could be correlated with polyploidy.