Mutagenesis Advance Access originally published online on September 29, 2006
Mutagenesis 2006 21(6):391-397; doi:10.1093/mutage/gel041
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Published by Oxford University Press 2006
ACB-PCR measurement of K-ras codon 12 mutant fractions in livers of Big Blue® rats treated with N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene
1 Division of Genetic and Reproductive Toxicology HFT-120 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA 2 Division of Biometry and Risk Assessment, National Center for Toxicological Research 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA
K-ras codon 12 GGT
GAT and GGT
GTT mutations are the most frequently observed K-ras point mutations in human and rodent tumors and therefore are implicated in carcinogenesis for many tissues. Measurement of these mutations in rat models and human tissue could facilitate a more logical extrapolation of rodent tumorigenesis data to human disease. We have developed allele-specific competitive blocker PCR (ACB-PCR) assays for rat K-ras codon 12 GGT
GTT and GGT
GAT mutations that parallel the already published assays for human K-ras codon 12 mutations. Liver K-ras codon 12 mutant allele fractions were measured in vehicle-treated and N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF)-treated Big Blue® rats. The average K-ras codon 12 GGT
GTT mutant fraction (MF) for four control rats was 50 x 106 (95% CI: 27 x 106, 95 x 106) and for four treated rats was 165 x 106 (95% CI: 87 x 106, 312 x 106), indicating a 3.3-fold increase with treatment (95% CI: 1.38.1). The average MF of K-ras codon 12 GGT
GAT for control rats was 1320 x 106 (95% CI: 498 x 106, 3500 x 106) and for treated rats was 8450 x 106 (95% CI: 3180 x 106, 22 400 x 106), indicating a 6.4-fold increase with treatment (95% CI: 1.625.4). These transgenic rats were part of a study that included analysis of liver lacI mutations. Although data from lacI determinations show that this compound induces mostly G
T mutations, using the ACB-PCR method both K-ras codon 12 GGT
GTT and GGT
GAT MFs were significantly increased in treated rats versus control rats. This data raises the possibility that N-OH-AAF may not only induce mutations by a genotoxic mechanism, but also by amplification of both de novo and pre-existing K-ras mutation.
*To whom correspondence should be addressed: Tel: +1 870 543-7399; Fax: +1 870 543-7393; Email: page.mckinzie{at}fda.hhs.gov