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Induction of Terminal Differentiation-resistant Epidermal Cells in Mouse Skin and in Papillomas by Different Initiators during Two-Stage Carcinogenesis¹

Department of Carcinogenesis, Science Park, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, Texas 78957

Carcinogen treatment of normal mouse epidermal cells causes some cells, if cultured under the appropriate conditions, to continue to proliferate instead of terminally differentiate, forming foci at 37°C in medium with a calcium level above 0.1 mM. We have examined these Calcium(Ca)-resistant cells formed in the skin of SENCAR mice after treatment with the carcinogen initiator 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) followed by tumor promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Although in our previous studies TPA promotion initially increased the size but reduced the number of foci caused by the carcinogen initiator N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), TPA promotion of DMBA-treated mice increased the size but had no effect on the number of foci. Papillomas resulting from DMBA plus TPA treatment contained many rapidly growing Ca-resistant cells, corroborating our earlier results with MNNG. Permanent cell lines prepared from papilloma-derived foci formed squamous cell carcinomas in nude mice after relatively short periods in culture. These data provide further evidence that Ca-resistant cells may be papilloma (and perhaps carcinoma) precursors in vivo. In addition, since TPA tends to reduce the number of early Ca-resistant cells caused by MNNG but not by DMBA, this may at least partially explain why treatment with DMBA plus TPA is much more effective in producing papillomas in SENCAR mice than is treatment with MNNG plus TPA.

¹ This research was supported by Grants CA-20076, CA-34890, and CA-34962 from the National Cancer Institute.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at the Division of Plastic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115.

Received 3/10/88. Revised 8/25/88. Revised 10/ 7/88. Accepted 10/18/88.