Mutations of lysophosphatidic acid receptor genes in human osteosarcoma cells. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), which is a bioactive phospholipid, interacts with specific G protein-coupled transmembrane receptors. Recently, alterations in LPA receptor genes have been reported in some tumor cells. In this study, to assess an involvement of LPA receptor genes in the development of human cancer cells, we looked for the presence of mutations in LPA receptor 1-6 (LPA1-6) genes in MG63 osteosarcoma, HT1080 fibrosarcoma, A549 lung adenocarcinoma, MCF-7 breast carcinoma, and G-361 melanoma cells.Genomic DNAs were extracted from each cell and polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis was performed to identify the mutations.MG63 showed mutations in LPA1 and LPA3 genes, while no mutations in the LPA receptor genes were found in HT1080, A549, MCF-7 and G-361 cells. Sequence analysis revealed a CGC to CGT (Arg to Arg) transition at codon 314 in LPA1, and a GCG to GTG (Ala to Val) transition at codon 247 in LPA3.These results indicated that the mutations in LPA1 and LPA3 genes occur in MG63 cells, suggesting that the alterations in LPA receptor genes may play some role in the pathogenesis in human osteosarcoma cells.Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.