This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Garcia, I. Articles by Aapro, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Garcia, I. Articles by Aapro, M.

Loss of Heterozygosity for the Short Arm of Chromosome 11 (11p15) in Human Milk Epithelial Cells Immortalized by Microinjection of SV40 DNA¹

Division of Onco-hematology [I. G., D. B., W. Z., M. A.] and Center for Cytology and Cancer Screening [J. W.], University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland

We have developed, by microinjection of SV40 DNA into human milk epithelial cells, a new mammary cell line, Hu-MI, which exhibits the phenotype of luminal cells or so-called "breast cancer precursor cells." This cell line retains the phenotype of primary cells as demonstrated by the expression of keratins 18 and 19 and of polymorphic epithelial mucins. However, the cells do not grow in agar after more than 80 passages, nor do they form tumors in nude mice. Established cells contain 2 copies of SV40 DNA integrated into the cellular genome and up to 14 copies of free SV40 DNA. A deletion of the short arm of chromosome 11 (11p15) including the c-Ha-ras and the ß-globin genes was found in the immortalized cells when the DNA from these cells was compared to the DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from the same donor. In addition, this cell line showed a good transfection efficiency for other DNA sequences using classical transfection and selection techniques with a neomycin resistance gene (pKOneo). Selective microinjection of DNA into tumor precursor cells may prove useful for the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in breast carcinogenesis. The possible significance of the loss of 11p13-15 in malignant progression of breast cancer is discussed.

¹ This work was supported by Grant 3.884.0.88 from the Swiss National Funds for Scientific Research.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Pathology, Centre Medical Universitaire, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.

Received 7/13/90. Accepted 10/ 4/90.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M Koi, L. Johnson, L. Kalikin, P. Little, Y Nakamura, and A. Feinberg Tumor cell growth arrest caused by subchromosomal transferable DNA fragments from chromosome 11 Science, April 16, 1993; 260(5106): 361 - 364. [Abstract] [PDF]