Chromosome 8p deletion is associated with metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma when high and low metastatic models are compared

Recently, we found that chromosome 8p deletion might be associated with hep atocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis by analyzing the differences in chro mosomal alterations between primary tumors and their matched metastatic les ions of HCC with comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) (Qin et al. 1999). To further confirm this interesting finding, the genomic changes of two mo dels bearing human HCC with different metastatic potentials (LCI-D20 and LC I-D35), and the new human HCC cell line with high metastatic potential (MHC C97) were analyzed by CGH. Gains on 1q, 6q, 7p, and 8q, and losses on 13p, 14p. 19p, 21, and 22 were detected in both LCI-D20 and LCI-D35 models. Howe ver, high copy number amplification of a minimum region at 1q12-q22 and 12q , and deletions on 1p32-pter, 3p21-pter, 8p, 9p, 10q, 14q, and 15p were det ected only in the LCI-D20 model. Gains on 1p21-p32, 2pI3-p21, 6p12-pter, 9p , 15q, and 16q11-q21, and losses on 2p23-pter, 4q24-qter, 7q31-qter, 12q, 1 7p, and 18 were detected only in the LCI-D35 model. The chromosomal aberrat ion patterns in the MHCC97 cell line were similar to its parent LCI-D20 mod el, except that gains on 19q and losses on 4, 5, 10q, and 13q were found on ly in the cell line. These results provide some indirect clues to the metas tasis-related chromosomal aberrations of HCC and further support the findin g that 8p deletion is associated with HCC metastasis. 1q12-22 and 12q might harbor a novel oncogene(s) that contributes to the development and progres sion of HCC. Amplification on 8q and deletions on 4q and 17p may be not nec essary for HCC metastasis.