Carcinogenesis is a multistage process that has been characterized both by the activation of cellular oncogenes and by the loss of function of tumor suppressor genes. Colorectal cancer has been associated with the activation of ras oncogenes and with the deletion of multiple chromosomal regions including chromosomes 5q, 17p, and 18q. Such chromosome loss is often suggestive of the deletion or loss of function of tumor suppressor genes. The candidate tumor suppressor genes from these regions are, respectively, MCC and/or APC, p53, and DCC. In order to further our understanding of the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in tumor progression and, thereby, of normal cell growth, it is important to determine whether defects in one or more of these loci contribute functionally in the progression to malignancy in colorectal cancer and whether correction of any of these defects restores normal growth control in vitro and in vivo. To address this question, we have utilized the technique of microcell-mediated chromosome transfer to introduce normal human chromosomes 5, 17, and 18 individually into recipient colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, chromosome 15 was introduced into SW480 cells as an irrelevant control chromosome. While the introduction of chromosome 17 into the tumorigenic colorectal cell line SW480 yielded no viable clones, cell lines were established after the introduction of chromosomes 15, 5, and 18. Hybrids containing chromosome 18 are morphologically similar to the parental line, whereas those containing chromosome 5 are morphologically distinct from the parental cell line, being small, polygonal, and tightly packed. SW480-chromosome 5 hybrids are strongly suppressed for tumorigenicity, while SW480-chromosome 18 hybrids produce slowly growing tumors in some of the animals injected. Hybrids containing the introduced chromosome 18 but was significantly reduced in several of the tumor reconstitute cell lines. Introduction of chromosome 5 had little to no effect on responsiveness, whereas transfer ot chromosome 18 restored responsiveness to some degree. Our findings indicate that while multiple defects in tumor suppressor genes seem to be required for progression to the malignant state in colorectal cancer, correction of only a single defect can have significant effects in vivo and/or in vitro.

We examined the transcription of six cellular oncogenes during the process of compensatory growth in rat liver after partial hepatectomy. We have previously reported that transcripts of c-rasH are elevated during regenerative growth of the liver. We now report that transcripts of c-rasK and c-myc genes are significantly elevated after partial hepatectomy, whereas transcripts of c-abl and c-src are essentially unchanged and transcripts of c-mos are undetectable in either normal or regenerating rat liver. In liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy or chemical injury, changes in c-myc transcripts occur before DNA synthesis. The elevation of c-myc and c-ras transcripts is sequential in that highest levels of c-myc transcripts were detected 12 to 18 h after partial hepatectomy, whereas the levels of c-rasH and c-rasK were maximal by 36 to 48 h. Transcripts of all three activated oncogenes returned to their basal levels by 96 h.

The number of transcripts of the cellular oncogene ras, which is homologous to the transforming gene of Harvey sarcoma virus, increases during liver regeneration in rats. The increase in these transcripts in liver polysomal polyadenylated RNA occurs at the time of activation of DNA synthesis during the regenerative process induced by partial hepatectomy or carbon tetrachloride injury. The number of ras transcripts returns to basal levels within 72 hours. These observations show that transcription of a cellular oncogene increases in a regulated way in a nonneoplastic growth process.

We examined the expression of six proto-oncogenes in (i) whole rat liver and isolated liver cell populations during the course of hepatocarcinogenesis induced by a choline-deficient diet containing 0.1% ethionine and (ii) fetal rat liver at different stages of development. The abundance of c-Ki-ras, c-Ha-ras, and c-myc transcripts in polysomal polyadenylated RNA from liver cells increased by 2 weeks after the start of the carcinogenic diet. c-Ki-ras and c-myc expression remained elevated during the 35 weeks of the diet, whereas c-Ha-ras transcripts increased transiently. A primary tumor sampled at 35 weeks after the carcinogenic diet was started contained high levels of both c-Ki-ras and c-myc RNA. The abundance of c-src transcripts was unchanged throughout carcinogenesis; c-abl and c-mos transcripts were not detected in either preneoplastic or neoplastic livers. To determine which cell types within the liver contained proto-oncogene transcripts, we isolated hepatocytes, oval cells, and bile duct cells from normal and preneoplastic livers. The results indicate that proto-oncogenes are expressed differentially in these cell types during hepatocarcinogenesis and that the expression of c-Ki-ras and c-myc is high in oval cells throughout carcinogenesis. In developing livers, c-Ki-ras, c-Ha-ras, and c-myc transcript levels were high at 17 days of gestation but reached the low values characteristic of adult rat livers between 20 days of gestation and 3 days after birth.