Control of mammalian cell mutagenesis and differentiation by chemicals which initiate or promote tumor formation

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5059329

Jones, C. A.; Huberman, E.

A cell-mediated mutagenesis assay was developed to predict the potential carcinogenic hazard of some environmental chemicals. In this assay, Chinese hamster V79 cells, which are susceptible to mutagenesis, are co-cultivated with cells capable of metabolizing chemical carcinogens. Use of this assay made it possible to demonstrate a relationship between the degree of carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of a series of polycyclic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines and to study the organ specificity exhibited by some chemical carcinogens. However, most short-term in vitro assays are designed to detect mutagenic activity and therefore do not detect tumor promoting agents which are devoid of this activity. By analyzing various markers of terminal differentiation in cultured human melanoma and myeloid leukemia cells, we have established a relationship between the activity of a series of tumor promoting phorbol diesters in the mouse skin and their ability to induce terminal differentiation. We suggest that measuring alterations in the differentiation characteristics of some cultured cells may represent an approach by which environmental tumor promoting agents can be studied and detected.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Univ., Oak Ridge (USA). Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5059329
• Report Number(s): CONF-8006117-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560301* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Cells-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
BIOASSAY
CARCINOGENS
ESTERS
HYDROCARBONS
MAMMALS
MUTAGEN SCREENING
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
RODENTS
SCREENING
TUMOR PROMOTERS
VERTEBRATES