Transfer of viable putative preneoplastic hepatocytes to the livers of syngeneic host rats.

A new approach was developed by which freshly isolated, chemical carcinogen-altered hepatocytes with the positive marker gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT) could be transferred from adult donor F344 rats to the livers of syngeneic, adult host rats. Selective proliferation of gamma-GT-positive hepatocytes was induced in host rat livers, such that large, macroscopic colonies of altered hepatocytes could be generated within 10 days of the cell transfer operation. Quantitation of the number of gamma-GT-positive hepatocyte colonies (foci) appearing per square centimeter of host liver section area on day 10 following cell transfer revealed that prior treatment of host rats with a low dose of 2-acetylaminofluorene was essential for the appearance of large numbers of foci. In addition, the appearance of foci on day 10 depended on the presence of intact, gamma-GT-positive hepatocytes in the infused (transferred) cell suspensions.