Ras mutations in methyiclofenapate-induced B6C3F1 and C57BL/1OJ mouse liver tumours

The majority of genotoxic carcinogen-induced liver tumours ofthe sensitive B6C3F1 mouse contain activated H-ras oncogenes.Such mutations also occur in hepatocarcinogenesis resistantstrains. In order to determine whether this is true of non-genotoxiccarcinogen-induced tumours, liver tumours induced in B6C3F1and C57BL/10J mice by methylclofena pate (MCP) were compared.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed H-ras codon61 mutations in 11/46 B6C3F1 and 4/31 C57BL/10J liver tumours.The nude mouse tumorigenicity (NMT) assay was used to analysetumours without codon 61 mutations. Of the 12 B6C3F1 liver tumourDNAs subjected to this assay, one contained a H-ras codon 117mutation. Further PCR analysis on frozen tumour samples (46B6C3F1 and 15 C57BL/10J) revealed no codon 12 mutations; oneadditional codon 117 mutation was identified in a B6C3F1 tumour.Overall, then, H-ras codon 61 mutations were detected in MCP-inducedB6C3F1 tumours less frequently than in genotoxin-induced tumours.Two B6C3F1 tumours contained codon 117 mutations similar tothose previously found in tumours induced by ciprofibrate, furanand furfural, and in at least one spontaneous tumour. Ras mutationswere also detected in some C57BL/10J tumours, providing furtherevidence that ras oncogenes can participate in hepatocarcinogenesisin resistant mice.