Effect of serial passage in female nude athymic mice on androgen dependency of Shionogi carcinoma 115.

When Shionogi carcinoma 115 (SC115, an undifferentiated medullary carcinoma showing a compact cell pattern and containing androgen receptor) was transplanted into male and female DS mice, it grew only in males. In contrast with this strict androgen dependency in DS hosts, SC115 tumors grew in male and female nude athymic (BALB/c-nu/nu) mice. Although most of the tumors developing in female nude mice were composed of spindle-shaped cells and did not contain androgen receptor, about 5% of tumors in female nude mice retained morphological and biochemical characteristics of the original SC115 tumor. Such a tumor was serially transplanted in female nude mice. Although no significant changes were detectable in histological and chromosomal features and in androgen receptor values, the growth speed in female nude mice accelerated and became comparable to the growth speed of the original SC115 tumor in intact male DS mice. However, this subline of SC115 tumor showed a marked androgen dependency when reinoculated into male and female DS mice after 14 passages in female mice nude mice in spite of its relative androgen independency in nude hosts. Therefore, the present results seem to suggest that the immunological status of the hosts may affect the hormone dependency of tumors.