Molecular cytogenetic characterization of the urethane-induced murine lung cell line LA-4 as a model for human squamous cell lung cancer

Mol Clin Oncol. 2022 Jan;16(1):9. doi: 10.3892/mco.2021.2440. Epub 2021 Nov 14.

Abstract

The murine tumor cell line LA-4 (also known as LA4 or LA 4) has been extensively used in ~70 studies from 1975 to present. However, the genetic characteristics have not been comprehensively delineated, apart from a single solid-stain cytogenetic study, which reported an average of 116 chromosomes per cell. LA-4 was created via urethane induction in an A/He mouse and demonstrated characteristic features of lung adenoma cells. In the present study, multicolor banding-based molecular cytogenetics was combined with molecular karyotyping to characterize ploidy, copy number alterations and chromosomal breakpoints of LA-4. A hyper-tetraploid karyotype with 85-93 chromosomes per cell, three distinct (pseudo-) dicentric derivatives, two neocentrics, four unbalanced translocations, two chromosomes with terminal deletions and one chromosome with a balanced inversion were detected. The results were translated into the human genome and a comparison with the literature revealed that LA-4 is well-suited as a murine model for human squamous cell lung cancer.

Keywords: adenoma; array comparative genomic hybridization; lung cancer; murine cell line LA-4; murine multicolor banding.

Grants and funding

Funding: The present study was supported by the Wilhelm Sander Stiftung (grant no. 2013.032.1).