Cytogenetic analysis of hepatic cell lines derived from SV40-T antigen gene-harboring transgenic mice

A total of five hepatic cell lines were established from SV40-T transgenic mice at different stages of development. Karyotype analysis performed on these cell lines revealed 1) chromosomal instability manifested by numerous karyotypic alterations, 2) non-random numerical changes of chromosome number 18 and 3) frequent occurrence of marker chromosomes in four of the five lines. These findings indicate that genetic abnormalities occur very frequently in hepatocytes of the transgenic mice, most probably caused by the mutagenic action of T-antigen, raising the possibility that they play essential roles in initiation and progression in this model of murine hepatocarcinogenesis.