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Letters to Nature

Nature 264, 360-361 (25 November 1976) | doi:10.1038/264360a0; Accepted 4 October 1976

Mutagenesis and transformation of normal cells by chemical carcinogens

ELIEZER HUBERMAN, RIVKA MAGER & LEO SACHS

  1. Department of Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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TREATMENT of normal cells1–6 or some established cell lines7 in culture with chemical carcinogens can result in cell transformation and malignancy. Cells which have an oriented pattern of cell growth, a limited life span in vitro and are not tumorogenic in vivo, are then converted into cells with a hereditary random pattern of cell growth, an ability to grow continuously in culture and to form tumours in vivo. Studies with a variety of polycyclic hydrocarbons and other chemicals have shown a correlation between the frequency of colonies with a hereditary random pattern of cell growth (transformed colonies) and the degree of carcinogenicity in animals2,6,7.