THEORY OF SPONTANEOUS CELL-FUSION - SEXUALITY IN CELL-POPULATIONS AS AN EVOLUTIONARILY STABLE STRATEGY - APPLICATIONS TO IMMUNOLOGY AND CANCER

It is argued that spontaneous fusion of cells in culture can be understood as a strategy of individual cells to counteract disadvantageous mutations. This explanation generates several predictions, suggested experiments, and a possible mutagen-carcinogen assay. The theory also implies that the standard method of measuring fusion rates (by means of media in which only hybrids can grow) will stimulate fusion and thus may grossly distort spontaneous fusion rates. Fusion and subsequent ploidy reducing divisions are the equivalent of sexual recombination. An appendix discusses implications for a general theory of sex. A second appendix discusses implications for the generation of millions of lymphocyte clones with different antigenic specificities from a small number of germ line genes. Cell fusions in vivo could function as a genetic repair mechanism and may play a role in cancer. © 1979.