Genomic instability of murine hepatocellular carcinomas with low and high metastatic capacities.

AIM

To investigate the frequency of genomic instability in murine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines Hca/A2-P(P) and Hca/163-F(F) with low and high metastatic capacity, and to explore its association with the occurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinomas.

METHODS

Forty microsatellite markers were randomly selected to examine P and F cells for genomic instability using PCR-simple sequence length polymorphism (PCR-SSLP) analysis.

RESULTS

Allelic genes on the chromosomes of P cell line with thirty informative microsatellite loci were paralleled to those of inbred strain C(3)H mouse, while those of F cell line with 28 loci were paralleled to those of inbred strain C(3)H mice. The frequency of microsatellite alterations was 37.5% and 42.5% in P cell line and F cell line, respectively. There were different alterations of allelic band 9 at loci between P and F cells, among which, the frequency of microsatellite alterations was most commonly seen on chromosomes 3, 7, 11 and 16.

CONCLUSION

Genomic instability in mouse chromosomes 3, 7, 11 and 16 may play a more important role in the development and progression of HCC in mice. It is suggested that these two sub-clones derived from a same hepatic tumor in homozygous mouse present different genetic features.