Preneoplastic Lesion Growth in B6.Hcs7C3H 219R8 Congenic Hepatocarcinogen-Sensitive Mus musculus

Abstract

A region of mouse Chromosome 1, called the Hcs7 locus, is involved in the susceptibility to liver carcinogenesis in the inbred mouse strain, C3H/HeJ (C3H). Linkage analysis of a cross between C3H and a strain that is resistant to carcinogen induced liver cancer, C57BL6/J (B6), has mapped this locus to the distal end of the Chromosome 1. Several genes in this area could play a role in the increased susceptibility in C3H mice. Initially, however, it should be determined whether or not the locus is affecting the initiation of tumors or the promotion of tumor growth in C3H mice. Early experiments have suggested that Hcs7 affects the promotion phases of hepatic tumors after the carcinogen treatment. By observing the number and size of preneoplastic lesions in C3H, B6, and in B6 mice carrying the C3H allele of Hcs7, it was determined that there is a correlation between the locus and an increased growth rate in preneoplastic lesions in the liver. Further understanding the mechanisms of liver cancer in mice can allow one to begin to question and test whether the same processes exist in human liver cancer.