Array-based comparative genomic hybridization study of human embryonic stem cell lines. Homo sapiens

G-banding of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) has proved their predisposition to aneuploidy of chromosomes 12, 17 and X. Now, using array-based comparative genomic hybridization, we find that hESC also accumulate other recurrent chromosomal abnormalities, such as duplications of stemness genes, submicroscopic instability of 20q11.21 and the appearance of a derivative chromosome 18. Keywords: comparative genomic hybridization, genomic integrity of human embryonic stem cells Overall design: Array-based comparative genomic hybridization was performed on 48 DNA samples from 17 human embryonic stem cell lines, all cultured in our laboratory under the same conditions. All lines were hybridized against DNA obtained from peripheral blood from donors with a known normal karyotype. No replicates were done from the same DNA sample, but, whenever possible the same stem cell line was analysed at later passages. All detected abnormalities were confirmed by FISH and/or G-banding.