Chromosomal alterations in osteosarcoma cell lines revealed by comparative genomic hybridization and multicolor karyotyping

We characterized the chromosomal alterations in eight osteosarcoma cell lines (OST, HOS, U-2 OS, ZK-58, MG-63, SJSA-1, Saos-2, and MNNG) by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH); gains and losses of DNA sequences were defined as chromosomal regions with a fluorescence ratio, wherein all of the 95% confidence interval was above 1.25 and below 0.75, respectively. In four of 8 cell lines, multicolor karyotyping (MK) was added. CGH revealed the average number of aberrations per cell line was 20.8 (range: 10–31); the average numbers of gains and losses were 11.1 and 9.6, respectively. The frequent gains were identified on 1p21∼q24, 1q25∼q31, 7p21, 7q31, 8q23∼q24, and 14q21; frequent losses were at 18q21∼q22, 18q12, 19p, and 3p12∼p14. High-level gains were observed on 8q23∼q24, 5p, and 1p21∼p22. MK revealed the most common translocations in the four cell lines were t(8;9), t(1;3), t(3;5), t(1;13), t(2;6), t(3;17), t(1;15), t(10;20), and t(6;20). Chromosomes 1, 3, 8, 9, and 20 were most frequently involved in translocation events. The concordance rate of aberrations in CGH and translocations in MK was 76%. MK was useful to identify the chromosomal alterations and as a supplement to the CGH results in three of four chromosomes.