MULTIPLE LOCI AFFECT GENETIC PREDISPOSITION TO HEPATOCARCINOGENESIS IN MICE

The C3H/He mouse represents a good experimental model of genetic predi sposition to hepatocellular tumor development. We analyzed an interspe cific testcross population of 106 urethane-treated male (C3H/He x Mus spretus) X C57BL/6J mice, typed with 222 genetic markers to locate pre cisely the hepatocellular tumor susceptibility (Hcs) loci. Three regio ns, on chromosomes 2, 5, and 19, showed a significant linkage with hep atocellular tumor development, as indicated by different quantitative indexes estimating liver tumor size. Liver tumor frequency was not gen etically controlled. These loci are different from three other Hcs loc i that we have previously mapped in an F2 progeny of the C3H/He mouse crossed with the resistant laboratory strain A/J. The present result i ndicates multigenic model of inheritance for hepatocellular tumor susc eptibility. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.