p53 gene mutations in neoplastic transformation of C3H 10T1/2 and severe combined immunodeficiency fibroblasts

Reduced sensitivity to and ras mutation spectrum of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced thymic lymphomas in adult C.B-17 scid mice

Scid mice are defective in the ability to repair DNA double strand breaks and, as a consequence, their cells are radiosensitive. Further, they have been shown to be prone to develop thymic lymphomas (TLs) after small doses of ionizing radiation. Little is known, however, on the role of scid mutation in chemical carcinogenesis. To determine if scid mutation increased predisposition to chemical carcinogenesis, we examined both the susceptibility of scid mice to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced lymphomagenesis and the involvement of ras gene activation. Adult female mice at 8 weeks of age were given ENU in their drinking water at 400 ppm for 2-10 weeks. Contrary to expectations, we observed a two to three-fold reduction in TL development in the scid mice. The highest incidence was achieved by ENU treatment for 8 weeks for scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice, of 42 and 85%, respectively (P<0.05). We investigated whether this was attributable to the usage of the ras mutation pathway. There was, however, no significant difference in the frequency and spectrum of K-ras mutation between the scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice. Most of the K-ras mutations were either GGT to GAT transition in codon 12 (11/23: 48%) or CAA to CCA transversion in codon 61 (8/23: 35%) that was independent of scid background. The incidence of N-ras mutation was very low. These results indicate that scid mice are less susceptible to ENU-induced lymphomagenesis and ras gene mutation frequently occurs in both scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice.

Adenovirus type 5 E1A immortalizes primary rat cells expressing wild-type p53

Adenovirus (Ad) E1A induces apoptosis in cells expressing wild-type p53, and stable transformation by Ad E1A requires the co-introduction of an anti-apoptotic gene such as Ad E1B 19K. Thus, cells immortalized by Ad E1A alone might have lost functional p53. In order to analyze the p53 in rat cells expressing Ad E1A, we established rat cell lines by transfecting primary rat embryo fibroblast (REF) and baby rat kidney (BRK) cells with cloned Ad5 E1A. By using a yeast functional assay, we analyzed p53 in six primary REF and three BRK cell lines immortalized by Ad5 E1A as well as five spontaneously immortalized rat cell lines (REF52, NRK, WFB, Rat-1 and 3Y1). The yeast functional assay revealed that all of the spontaneously and Ad5 ElA-immortalized rat cell lines except for 3Y1 expressed wild-type p53. All of the Ad5 E1A-immortalized rat cell lines contained p53 detectable by immunoprecipitation. Recombinant adenovirus expressing rat p53 cloned from a REF cell line immortalized by Ad5 E1A, as well as that expressing murine wild-type p53, induced apoptosis in p53-null cells in collaboration with E1A. Thus, it is suggested that the mutation of p53 appears to be not frequent in the spontaneous immortalization of primary rat cells, and that the functional loss of wild-type p53 is not a prerequisite of E1A-mediated immortalization.