Stromal cells and human malignant neuroblasts derived from bone marrow metastasis may share common karyotypic abnormalities: the case of the IGR-N-91 cell line.
BACKGROUND
Stage IV neuroblastoma is characterized by tumor invasion and metastatic dissemination. Cell lines derived from such neuroblastomas have a high in vitro proliferation capacity.


METHODS
We established three neuroblastoma cell lines derived from involved bone marrow of three patients with stage IV neuroblastoma and performed a cytogenetic study.


RESULTS
Various culture conditions allowed us to distinguish two cell subpopulations: malignant neuroblasts (Nb-type) and substrate-adherent stromal cells (Str-type). Karyotypic analyses revealed two specific chromosomal abnormalities in diploid malignant IGR-N-331 neuroblasts, der(1)t(1;7)(p22;q11) and der(5)t(5;17)(q35;q21), one unbalanced translocation der(1)t(1;17)(p35;q21)x2 in hyperdiploid malignant IGR-N-337 neuroblasts, and a normal karyotype in both corresponding stromal subpopulations. In contrast, in the IGR-N-91 model, both cell types shared two unbalanced translocations, t(1;4)(q12;p15) and t(2;10)(p14;q11), suggesting that stromal cells and malignant neuroblasts originate from a common stem cell.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on our findings, we postulate that genetically modified stromal cells may influence the metastatic potential of malignant neuroblasts.
Valent
A
A
Laboratoire de Génomique Cellulaire des Cancers, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Venuat
A M
AM
Danglot
G
G
Da Silva
J
J
Duarte
N
N
Bernheim
A
A
Bénard
J
J
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007223:Infant; D007621:Karyotyping; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm