MNNG-TRANSFORMED BLOOM-SYNDROME B-LYMPHOBLASTOIDS FOR THE DETECTION OF HODGKINS LYMPHOMA-ASSOCIATED ANTIGEN IN 2D WESTERNS

Twenty-four hour MNNG-exposed Bloom syndrome (BS) B-lymphoblastoid cel ls with the potential to form single cell colonies in soft agar and nu de mouse tumour (2/6 (33%) showed a simultaneous increase in the Ras-e xpressing cells (using monoclonal antibody to p21 transforming protein ) from 20% (at 24 h) to 85% (on day 30). In contrast, there was an abs ence of Ras-positive cells in MNNG-exposed fresh lymphocytes (PBMCs) f rom a healthy subject and a presence of only 11-18% of Ras-positive ce lls in normal (GA3) and unexposed BS B-lymphoblastoid cells. The Weste rn blot analysis using sera samples from Hodgkin's lymphoma patients s howed the presence of proteins of 102 and 68 kDa which in 2D Westerns were observed to be unique to BS-MNNG cells with approximate pIs of 5. 3 and 5.7, respectively. It is proposed that BS-MNNG cells provide an interesting in vitro human cell model to generate unique cancer-associ ated antigen(s) in addition to using this system to understand the pri mary events associated with neoplastic transformation. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Ireland Ltd.