ABSTRACT
This chapter describes studies of hepatocarcinogenesis in inbred mouse strains that demonstrate the existence of several polymorphic loci that control susceptibility to liver tumor induction. Also discussed is the characterization of a specific gene, identified through studies of the high susceptibility of C3H mice to hepatocarcinogenesis, that exerts its effect during liver tumor promotion. Few studies of chemically induced hepatocarcinogenesis have compared many inbred mouse strains for their relative susceptibilities to tumor induction. An important feature of hepatocarcinogenesis in the mouse has been the identification of lesions that are putatively preneoplastic. The studies of liver tumor induction in BXH recombinant inbred mice also indicated the possibility that the hepatocarcinogen sensitivity gene was linked to a locus on chromosome that controls the expression of the major urinary protein. Focal lesions of hepatocytes with altered histochemical staining properties are observed long before the development of liver tumors in carcinogen-treated animals.
