Effect of cocultivation on the levels of spontaneous and induced sister chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster cells.

The level of sister chromatid exchanges, both spontaneous and induced by UV light or ethylmethanesulphonate (EMS), in Chinese hamster V79/AP4 cell line, is partially reduced upon cocultivation with human cells. Normal and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells are equally effective. On the basis of these observations, cocultivation may represent a good tool for investigating the SCE's formation processes.