[Clonal analysis of the heterogeneity of neoplastic hepatocytes]

The heterogeneity of hepatoma MH-22a cell line was studied by clonal analysis on the basis of the following factors: splenocyte-induced apoptosis of tumor hepatocytes, tumor hepatocyte-induced apoptosis of splenocytes and profile of B1-associated DNA fragments. Induction of apoptosis of tumor hepatocytes by splenocytes and of splenocytes--by tumor hepatocytes was carried out in the main population of hepatocytes and in five clonal lines of hepatoma MH-22a. Genetic heterogeneity was studied using the same material and PCR primed for murine B1-elements. It was shown that apoptosis of hepatocytes of the main population and two clonal lines of hepatoma MH-22a was induced by splenocytes. The ability to induce apoptosis of splenocytes was observed in the same clonal lines and population of tumor hepatocytes. The latter involved enhanced genetic heterogeneity which was identified by B1-PCR analysis. Thus, a correlation was established in tumor hepatocytes between apoptosis-related characteristics and frequency of genome rearrangements.