Fusion between homologous cells, modified epigenetic environment and possible cell cancerization

For a long time now we have been putting forwards the hypothesis that, when two cells belonging to different tissues of the same organism fuse, the nucleous/nuclei of the resulting "fused" cell could lay into a cytoplasm possibly containing factors influencing the activation or deactivation of genes able to interfere with the differentiation "iter" proper of the parent cells. As a consequence, the fused cells could undergo neoplastic transformation. In order to give an experimental support to such an hypothesis, mononuclear cells and granulocytes were isolated from the white blood cells of the same individual, mixed (at 1/1 ratio) and fused, using polyethylen glycol (PEG). The fused cells were then cultured into a suitable medium, supplemented with phytohemoagglutinin (PHE), a lectin which is able to stimulate at least one of the nuclei. Samples from these cultures were withdrawn at progressive time-intervals and stained with May Grumwald-Giemsa. Microscopic examination showed the appearance of cells morphologically resembling Hodgkin's and Reed Sternberg cells, or leukemic cells. A crown of mononucleated cells was often surrounding such anomalous cells, as happens in the early stage of killer cells action against target cells. In two out of fifty cultures, cells grew without need for serum supply, suggesting the onset of an autocrine system.