P53 PROTEIN EXPRESSION BY HEPATOCARCINOGENS IN THE RAT-LIVER AND ITS POTENTIAL ROLE IN MITOINHIBITION OF NORMAL HEPATOCYTES AS A MECHANISM OF HEPATIC TUMOR PROMOTION
He. Vangijssel et al., P53 PROTEIN EXPRESSION BY HEPATOCARCINOGENS IN THE RAT-LIVER AND ITS POTENTIAL ROLE IN MITOINHIBITION OF NORMAL HEPATOCYTES AS A MECHANISM OF HEPATIC TUMOR PROMOTION, Carcinogenesis, 18(5), 1997, pp. 1027-1033
The tumour suppressor gene p53 is expressed in response to DNA-damage;
its protein product blocks cells in the G1-phase of the cell cycle. T
his gives cells additional time to repair their DNA-damage. However, i
t may trigger apoptosis if damage is too high, Loss of p53 function ap
pears to be an important step in carcinogenesis because 50% of human t
umours have lost functional p53. In order to study the role of p53 in
experimental hepatocarcinogenesis, we determined the expression of p53
in rat liver in response to various hepatocarcinogenic and hepatotoxi
c compounds. Administration of hepatocarcinogenic compounds increased
p53 protein levels in the liver as detected by immunoprecipitation fol
lowed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting with ECL-detection. The hepatoc
arcinogens included N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, aflatoxin B1, and
diethylnitrosamine. Their structural analogues N-hydroxy-4-acetylamin
obiphenyl and ethyl methanesulphonate which are not hepatocarcinogenic
, did not induce p53, Also, two hepatotoxic compounds (carbon tetrachl
oride, D-galactosamine) did not induce p53. Other compounds that induc
ed p53 in the rat liver were 2-aminofluorene (administered by drinking
water for two weeks) and tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl)phosphate. Benzo[a]-
pyrene did not induce p53, N-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene, aflatoxin
B1, and diethylnitrosamine are potent hepatic tumour promoters. At the
same time, they induce p53 protein expression and inhibit proliferati
on of normal hepatocytes. Because this is not observed with non-hepato
carcinogenic analogues, it suggests an involvement of p53 expression i
n hepatic tumour promotion. A possible mechanism is discussed.