Chemical transformation of cultured human skin fibroblasts derived from individuals with hereditary adenomatosis of the colon and rectum.

Chemical transformation of cultured human skin fibroblasts (PF) derived from individuals with hereditary adenomatosis of the colon and rectum is reported. Cells treated only with various levels of N-methyl-N'-nitro N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) underwent morphological alteration. The morphologically altered cells formed large aggregates when suspended in liquid growth medium above an agar base and grew to high saturation densities. One altered (MNNG, 1.0 microgram/ml) cell culture formed colonies in soft agar. Transformed cells were resistant to rechallenge of MNNG (l microgram/ml) and showed a more prolonged life-span compared to the untreated cells. Altered cells became heteroploid cells. However, no progressively growing tumors were produced when cells were inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice. The data suggest that chemical carcinogens alone may not induce neoplastic transformation of fibroblasts from humans genetically predisposed to cancer and that neoplastic transformation of these skin cells by chemical carcinogens might require the presence of a tumor promotor and the use of an immuno-privileged site in the nude mouse system.