Elevation of 1,2-diacylglycerol in ras-transformed neonatal liver and pancreas of transgenic mice.

Expression of the activated Harvey-ras (H-ras) oncogene in cultured cells is associated with an elevated steady-state concentration of 1,2-diacylglycerol (DG), an intracellular second messenger capable of promoting cell division. To explore the biochemistry of ras expression in vivo, we measured DG in ras-transformed neonatal liver and pancreas of transgenic mice. DG was elevated over 2-fold in these tissues compared to controls, but was not elevated in transgenic neonatal liver expressing normal H-ras, the nuclear oncogene myc, or the Simian Virus 40 T-antigens. DG was also not elevated in ras-induced lung adenomas in transgenic mice. These findings demonstrate an association between activated ras expression and DG concentration in neonatal tissue, but suggest that marked elevation of DG is not necessary for the development of ras-induced tumors in lung.