The use of multicolor fluorescence technologies in the characterization ofprostate carcinoma cell lines: a comparison of multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization and spectral karyotyping data

Recent studies have identified several chromosome regions that are altered in primary prostate cancer and prostatic carcinoma cell lines. These target ed regions may harbor genes involved in tumor suppression. We used multiple x fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) to screen for genetic rearran gements in four prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP, LNCaP.FCG, DU145, and PC 3, and compared our results with those recently obtained using spectral kar yotyping (SKY). A number of differences was noted between abnormalities cha racterized by SKY and M-FISH, suggesting variation in karyotype evolution a nd characterization by these two methodologies. M-FISH analysis showed that hormone-resistant cell lines (DU145 and PC3) contained many genetic altera tions (greater than or equal to 15 per cell), suggesting high levels of gen etic instability in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Most chromosome reg ions previously implicated in prostate cancer were altered in one or more o f these cell lines. Several specific chromosome aberrations were also detec ted, including a del(4)(p14) and a del(6)(q21) in the hormone-insensitive c ell lines, a t(1;15)(p?;q?) in LNCaP, LNCaP, and PC3, and a i(5p) in LNCaP. FCG, DU145, and PQ. These clonal chromosome abnormalities may pinpoint gene loci associated with prostate tumourigenesis, cancer progression, and horm one sensitivity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Tnc. All rights reserved.