Evidence for a universal process underlying clonal attenuation

It is shown by computer simulation that an established commitment model of clonal attenuation can account for clone size distribution data obtained from three vertebrate species — chick, hamster and human — from two evolutionarily divergent classes. The different in vitro replicative lifespans of each cell strain can be explained simply by differences in cell kinetics. These results suggest that the process of clonal attenuation is qualitatively similar in fibroblasts from all vertebrate species.