Longterm survival of normal, diploid Syrian hamster-cells in tumors induced by transfection with v-Ha-ras and v-myc oncogenes

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 45; no. 1; p. 35
• Main Authors: Oshimura, M, Annab, L A, Barrett, J C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland 01-04-1989
• Subjects: Aneuploidy; Animals; Cell Survival; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cells, Cultured; Cricetinae; Embryo, Mammalian; Genes, ras; Karyotyping; Mesocricetus; Proto-Oncogenes; Transfection
• ISSN: 0304-3835
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3835(89)90033-5

Tumors were induced following transfection of normal, diploid hamster embryo cells with plasmids containing the viral Harvey ras and viral myc oncogenes. Direct cytogenetic studies of the tumors performed at 3-7 weeks after injection of the transfected hamster cells into nude mice revealed that 100% of the hamster cells were aneuploid and no detectable diploid cells in mitosis were observed. However, when tumor explants were cultured in vitro, diploid Syrian hamster cells were frequently detected at early passages. The percentage of diploid hamster cells in the cultures varied from 2 to 94% at the first passage. After several passages in vitro, only aneuploid hamster cells were observed. The diploid hamster cells in culture had a flat morphology and senesced. The aneuploid cells in the cultures were readily cloned and formed tumors after reinjection in nude mice. Reconstruction experiments consisting of injecting cloned, aneuploid tumor cells mixed with 6 X 10(6) normal Syrian hamster embryo cells were performed. Cell cultures derived from these mixed tumors contained both normal and aneuploid hamster cells indicating that normal cells survived in vivo during the growth of the tumor cells for up to 4 weeks. During this period, some normal cells transplanted in vivo did not die or terminally differentiate. Since normal cells can persist in vivo, tumor-derived cell cultures are mixed populations and caution should be exercised in interpreting quantitative molecular or cellular studies of these uncloned populations.