CONCOMITANT P53 GENE MUTATION AND INCREASED RADIOSENSITIVITY IN RAT LUNG EMBRYO EPITHELIAL-CELLS DURING NEOPLASTIC DEVELOPMENT

A rat lung cell population had been treated with benzo(a)pyrene, and a set of different epithelial cell lines was derived from it. These cel l lines carried either a wild-type or mutant p53 gene and represented grading states of neoplastic development. We demonstrate here that the cells lacking both wild-type p53 alleles display a significant decrea se in survival after gamma-irradiation with doses of 2 to 12 Gy, compa red with their counterparts carrying wild-type p53 alleles. This is th e first reported model in which cells bearing a mutation of the p53 ge ne display enhanced sensitivity to ionizing radiation.