Cytogenomics of murine melanoma cell lines C57/B1 and B16-F0

In melanoma, one of the most aggressive human tumors, early diagnosis is still the best strategy to increase survival rates. C57/B1 and B16-F0 are murine cell lines frequently applied in basic and applied melanoma research. Thus, it is striking, that cytogenomic features of these two cell lines are not known yet. In the present study, molecular cytogenetics and array-comparative genomic hybridization were done in C57/B1 and B16-F0 cells and the resulting imbalances and breakpoints were translated into the human genome. Both cell lines derived from each other and had an isochromosome 12 and a balanced translocation of chromosomes 3 and 13 in common. Interestingly, both cell lines presented aberrations which were also observed in human skin but not in human eye or uveal melanoma.