Frequent mutations of Ki-ras codon 12 in N-bis (2-hydroxypropyl)-nitrosamine-initiated thyroid, kidney and lung tumors in Wistar rats.

N-Bis (2-hydroxypropyl) nitrosamine (DHPN) is a very potent mutagen and wide spectrum carcinogen in rodents. In the present study, we investigated mutational activation of the Ki-ras gene in eight thyroid, five kidney (four mesenchymal and one transitional cell lesion) and two lung tumors induced with DHPN. Mutations were identified using single-strand conformation polymorphism, restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing analysis. All of the 15 neoplasms could be shown to have mutations in codon 12 (GGT-->GAT). These results suggest that Ki-ras mutations are frequent events during the development of DHPN-induced carcinomas in these organs. In a separate experiment, moreover, we analyzed the presence of Ki-ras mutations in various tissues 8 weeks after DHPN treatment. One of five thyroid tissues treated with DHPN was found to have the same characteristic mutation, suggesting that it may represent an early event during carcinogen-induced tumor formation in the thyroid.