%0 Journal Article
%T The establishment and characterization of the first canine hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, which resembles human oncogenic expression patterns
%A Sacha Y Boomkens
%A Bart Spee
%A Jooske IJzer
%A Ronald Kisjes
%A Herman F Egberink
%A Ted SGAM van den Ingh
%A Jan Rothuizen
%A Louis C Penning
%J Comparative Hepatology
%D 2004
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1476-5926-3-9
%X Histomorphological, biochemical, molecular biological and quantitative assays were performed to characterize the canine HCC cell line that originated from a dog with a spontaneous liver tumor. Morphological investigations provided strong evidence for the hepatocytic and neoplastic nature of the cell line, while biochemical assays showed that they produced liver-specific enzymes. PCR analysis confirmed expression of ceruloplasmin, alpha-fetoprotein and serum albumin. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that the canine HCC cell line resembles human HCC based on the measurements of expression profiles of genes involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis.We have developed a novel, spontaneous tumor liver cell line of canine origin that has many characteristics of human HCC. Therefore, the canine HCC cell line might be an excellent model for comparative studies on the molecular pathogenesis of HCC.Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most worldwide frequent primary tumors in man, with an estimated 564,000 new cases and almost as many deaths in 2000 [1]. It almost always develops in the setting of chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, conditions in which many hepatocytes are destroyed, inflammatory cells invade the liver, and connective tissue is deposited. Unlike colorectal carcinoma, for example, for which a model can be generated based on known molecular events occurring during the process of carcinogenesis [2], the pathogenesis of HCC is largely unknown [3]. Although many risk factors have been reported to be involved in the transformation from a normal cell into a malignant tumor cell, such as HBV, HCV, alcohol, aflatoxin B, cirrhosis, older age, and male gender, the molecular mechanisms of neoplastic transformation and progression in HCC are not yet well understood.However, the study of those mechanisms is hampered because the liver tissue of patients with HCC has only limited value and primary hepatocytes are difficult to maintain in culture. Furthermore, primary hepatoc
%U http://www.comparative-hepatology.com/content/3/1/9