Loss of cell cycle control through the structural or functional aberration of checkpoint genes and their products is a potentially important process in carcinogenesis. In this study, a panel of well-characterised established human bladder cancer cell lines was screened by the polymerase chain reaction for homozygous loss of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes p15, p16 and p27. The results demonstrate that, whereas there was no genetic loss of p27, homozygous deletion of both p15 and p16 genes occurred in seven of 13 (54%) independent bladder cell lines tested. Differential loss of either the p15 or p16 gene was not seen. The p15 and p16 genes are known to be juxtaposed on chromosome 9p21 at the locus of a putative tumour-suppressor gene involved in the initiation of bladder cancer. Cytogenetic analysis of the cell lines revealed karyotypes ranging from near diploid to near pentaploid with complex rearrangements of some chromosomes and a high prevalence of chromosome 9p rearrangements, although all cell lines contained at least one cytogenetically normal 9p21 region. These observations support a role for p15/p16 gene inactivation in bladder carcinogenesis and/or the promotion of cell growth in vitro and lend support to the hypothesis that homozygous deletion centred on 9p21 is a mechanism by which both p15 and p16 genes are co-inactivated.