Huntington's chorea is an autosomal dominant disease of the nervous system. Fibroblasts of one such case obtained from the Genetic Mutant Repository have a normal growth rate when compared with an age, sex and passage number matched human fibroblast cell line obtained from the same source. However, when the culture medium is depleted of nutrients and non-essential amino-acids added either individually or in combination, the Huntington's chorea fibroblasts show a dependence for glucosamine in the culture medium for cell survival and replicative capacity. Glutamine cannot be used in place of glucosamine. In fact, there is a further increment of cell morphology and number deterioration by Huntington's chorea but not normal fibroblasts when glutamine is added to depleted cultures. © 1977.