A novel mouse model of hepatocarcinogenesis triggered by AID causing deleterious p53 mutations

Oncogene. 2009 Jan 29;28(4):469-78. doi: 10.1038/onc.2008.415. Epub 2008 Nov 10.

Abstract

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), the only enzyme that is known to be able to induce mutations in the human genome, is required for somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination in B lymphocytes. Recently, we showed that AID is implicated in the pathogenesis of human cancers including hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we established a new AID transgenic mouse model (TNAP-AID) in which AID is expressed in cells producing tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), which is a marker of primordial germ cells and immature stem cells, including ES cells. High expression of TNAP was found in the liver of the embryos and adults of TNAP-AID mice. HCC developed in 27% of these mice at the age of approximately 90 weeks. The HCC that developed in TNAP-AID mice expressed alpha-fetoprotein and had deleterious mutations in the tumour suppressor gene Trp53, some of which corresponded to those found in human cancer. In conclusion, TNAP-AID is a mouse model that spontaneously develops HCC, sharing genetic and phenotypic features with human HCC, which develops in the inflamed liver as a result of the accumulation of genetic changes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / genetics
  • Aging / metabolism
  • Alkaline Phosphatase / genetics
  • Alkaline Phosphatase / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Differentiation / genetics
  • Antigens, Differentiation / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Cytidine Deaminase / genetics
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Embryo, Mammalian / metabolism
  • Embryo, Mammalian / pathology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic* / genetics
  • Genome, Human / genetics
  • Hepatitis / genetics
  • Hepatitis / metabolism
  • Hepatitis / pathology
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / genetics
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Organ Specificity / genetics
  • Sequence Deletion / genetics
  • Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin / genetics
  • Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Stem Cells / pathology
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism*
  • alpha-Fetoproteins / genetics
  • alpha-Fetoproteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antigens, Differentiation
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • alpha-Fetoproteins
  • Alkaline Phosphatase
  • AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase)
  • Cytidine Deaminase