H uman cancers have an apparent low growth fraction, the bulk of cells presumed to being out of cycle in a G0 quiescent state due to the inability in the past to distinguish G0 from G1 cells. The allosteric M1 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (M1-RR) is constitutively expressed by cycling cells (i.e., G1, S, G2-M). It is acquired during transition from G0 to G1, lost during exit to G0 and thus distinguishes G0 from G1 cells. To estimate the proportion of G0 and G1 cells in primary human breast (n = 5) and colorectal (n = 12) adenocarcinomas, we used both analytical DNA flow cytometry (ADFC) and immunoperoxidase staining of sections with the monoclonal antibody to M1-RR (MAb M1-RR). ADFC of fresh tumors revealed a low percentage of cells in the S phase (4.0 +/- 3.4%) but immunoperoxidase staining for M1-RR revealed an unexpectedly high proportion of positive cells (52.4 +/- 12.7%) in the G1, S, G2-M phases indicating a high G1 content of primary human tumors. Thus, human cancers are blocked in transition in G1 and are not predominantly in a G0 or quiescent differentiated state. This block was interpreted to mean that human cancers are responding to putative regulatory events at a restriction point in the G1 phase, such as relative growth factor deficiency, density inhibition, antiproliferative cytokines, or gene products. Using flow cytometry for both DNA and M1-RR content we found that human colon cancer cell lines arrest in the G1 but not G0 phase upon serum deprivation or density inhibition. Similarly, human breast cancer cell lines are arrested in G1 but not G0 phase by medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or tamoxifen exposure. These findings match our in situ observations, and support the concept of a restriction point block in primary human tumors.