Human cell culture models for investigating molecular and cytogenetic changes in radiation carcinogenesis

Primary cultures of human epithelial cells have proved difficult to transform because of the inherent short duration that these cells can be cultured. However, primary cultures of human cells can be immortalised using the catalytic sub-unit of telomerase (hTERT). Radiation carcinogenesis has been investigated using a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (340RPE-T53 hTERT). Transformants can be selected using anchorage independent growth and cell lines derived from these are tumourigenic in immunosupressed mice. Molecular cytogenetic changes using CGH, SKY and FISH with breakpoint-specific YAC- and BAC- probes revealed a high level amplification on 10p11.2 in several clones which has been identified as an atypical protein kinase C binding protein using FISH gene-specific PCR products. Patterns of gene expression were studied using HuGen Human cDNA arrays using indirect labelling. The control parent RPE cell line could then be compared with cloned radiation-induced tumour cell lines derived from it following fractionated doses of gamma irradiation. Osteonectin was down regulated in 4 different tumour lines. This gene maps to a region of chromosome 5q that is commonly deleted in leukaemia. Nexin and p105 were down regulated in 3 lines and tumour suppressing subtransferable candidate 1 in I line. Further hTERT immortalised cell lines have been derived from primary cultures of human mammary epithelial cells. The breast epithelium contains a number of different cell types and the lines have been characterised using immunocytochemical techniques. The cells are cytokeratin 19 negative but CD10, cytokeratin 5 and p63 positive indicating a basal cell phenotype. Following exposure to fractionated doses of gamma irradiation anchorage independent colonies are formed. Thus human cell lines immortalised with hTERT are providing a useful model system for investigating radiation carcinogenesis and the molecular and cytogenetic changes induced. Supported by EC Nuclear Fission Safety Programme (FIGH-CT-1999-0002)