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Contact-insensitive subpopulation in Syrian hamster cell cultures with a greater susceptibility to chemically induced neoplastic transformation

Journal Article · · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

The authors previously have identified a subpopulation of contact-insensitive (CS ) cells which lacks density-dependent inhibition of cell division in primary and low-passage cultures of Syrian hamster embryonic (SHE) fibroblastic cells. To determine whether these transient CS cells are more sensitive to carcinogenic/mutagenic perturbation, the susceptibility to neoplastic transformation and somatic mutation induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was examined in clonally isolated cell cultures containing various proportions of CS cells. The frequencies of morphological transformation, focus formation, and neoplastic transformation showed a positive correlation to the proportion of CS cells in the treated cultures. In contrast, the frequency of MMNG-induced somatic mutation at the Na , K -ATPase locus was similar among cultures varying in their proportion of CS cells. Thus, there is a transient subpopulation of CS cells in primary SHE cell cultures that is more susceptible to neoplastic transformation although equally susceptible to induced point mutation. A possible relationship between the propensity of CS cells (versus CS cells) to carcinogen-induced neoplastic transformation and the state of differentiation of the CS cells is discussed.

Research Organization:
Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76EV03280
OSTI ID:
6081075
Journal Information:
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Vol. 82:15; ISSN PNASA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English