CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES (HEP-KANO) DERIVED FROM A NON-HEPATITIC, NONCIRRHOTIC HEPATITIS-B VIRUS CARRIER

We have established two cell lines of hepatocellular carcinoma [Hep-KA NO, clone 1 (CL-1) and clone 2 (CL-2)] from tissue obtained at autopsy of a hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier without histological signs of he patitis or liver cirrhosis. These cell lines differed considerably fro m each other in morphology, proliferation pattern, m-fetoprotein secre tion, albumin synthesis, cytokine secretion, modal chromosome number a nd transplantability to nude mice. Histologic examinations also reveal ed differences between them. Amplification of N-myc, L-myc, H-ras, K-r as, N-ras, c-erb-B and c-erb-B-2 and rearrangement of p53 were not fou nd in either of the cell lines. However, CL-1 and CL-2 showed an ident ical HBV-DNA integration pattern. A 4-fold amplification of c-myc was observed in CL-1, but not in CL-2. Hep-KANO cell lines, CL-1 and CL-2 may be useful in clarifying the question of whether hepatocarcinogenes is is directly caused by HBV infection.