Biomaterial Database

Alterations in the methylation status and expression of the raf oncogene in phenobarbital-induced and spontaneous B6C3F1 mouse liver tumors. 1994

J S Ray, and M L Harbison, and R M McClain, and J I Goodman

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.

The liver tumor-prone B6C3F1 mouse (C57Bl/6 female x C3H/He male), in conjunction with the more susceptible C3H/He paternal strain and the resistant C57BL/6 maternal strain, is an excellent model for studying the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis. The study reported here indicated that the B6C3F1 mouse inherited a maternal raf allele containing a methylated site not present in the paternal allele. Seven days after partial hepatectomy or after administration of a promoting dose of phenobarbital (PB) for 14 d; raf in B6C3F1 mouse liver was hypomethylated. The additional methylated site in the allele inherited from C57BL/6 was not maintained. The methylation status of raf in the liver of the C57BL/6 mouse was not affected by PB treatment. This indicates that the B6C3F1 mouse is less capable of maintaining methylation of raf than the C57BL/6 strain is. In both PB-induced and spontaneous B6C3F1 liver tumors, raf was hypomethylated in a nonrandom fashion. The level of raf mRNA increased in seven of 10 PB-induced tumors but in only one of five spontaneous tumors, whereas the level of Ha-ras mRNA increased in nine of 10 PB-induced tumors and in four of five spontaneous tumors. The results of our investigation (a) support the hypothesis that hypomethylation of DNA is a nongenotoxic mechanism involved in tumorigenesis, (b) support the notion that PB promotes liver tumors that develop along a pathway different from that leading to spontaneous tumors, and (c) indicate that differences in DNA methylation between C57BL/6 and B6C3F1 mice could, in part, account for the unusually high tendency of the latter strain to develop liver tumors.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008113	Liver Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the LIVER.	Cancer of Liver,Hepatic Cancer,Liver Cancer,Cancer of the Liver,Cancer, Hepatocellular,Hepatic Neoplasms,Hepatocellular Cancer,Neoplasms, Hepatic,Neoplasms, Liver,Cancer, Hepatic,Cancer, Liver,Cancers, Hepatic,Cancers, Hepatocellular,Cancers, Liver,Hepatic Cancers,Hepatic Neoplasm,Hepatocellular Cancers,Liver Cancers,Liver Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Hepatic,Neoplasm, Liver
D008297	Male		Males
D008745	Methylation	Addition of methyl groups. In histo-chemistry methylation is used to esterify carboxyl groups and remove sulfate groups by treating tissue sections with hot methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Methylations
D008809	Mice, Inbred C3H	An inbred strain of mouse that is used as a general purpose strain in a wide variety of RESEARCH areas including CANCER; INFECTIOUS DISEASES; sensorineural, and cardiovascular biology research.	Mice, C3H,Mouse, C3H,Mouse, Inbred C3H,C3H Mice,C3H Mice, Inbred,C3H Mouse,C3H Mouse, Inbred,Inbred C3H Mice,Inbred C3H Mouse
D008810	Mice, Inbred C57BL	One of the first INBRED MOUSE STRAINS to be sequenced. This strain is commonly used as genetic background for transgenic mouse models. Refractory to many tumors, this strain is also preferred model for studying role of genetic variations in development of diseases.	Mice, C57BL,Mouse, C57BL,Mouse, Inbred C57BL,C57BL Mice,C57BL Mice, Inbred,C57BL Mouse,C57BL Mouse, Inbred,Inbred C57BL Mice,Inbred C57BL Mouse
D009857	Oncogenes	Genes whose gain-of-function alterations lead to NEOPLASTIC CELL TRANSFORMATION. They include, for example, genes for activators or stimulators of CELL PROLIFERATION such as growth factors, growth factor receptors, protein kinases, signal transducers, nuclear phosphoproteins, and transcription factors. A prefix of "v-" before oncogene symbols indicates oncogenes captured and transmitted by RETROVIRUSES; the prefix "c-" before the gene symbol of an oncogene indicates it is the cellular homolog (PROTO-ONCOGENES) of a v-oncogene.	Transforming Genes,Oncogene,Transforming Gene,Gene, Transforming,Genes, Transforming
D010634	Phenobarbital	A barbituric acid derivative that acts as a nonselective central nervous system depressant. It potentiates GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID action on GABA-A RECEPTORS, and modulates chloride currents through receptor channels. It also inhibits glutamate induced depolarizations.	Phenemal,Phenobarbitone,Phenylbarbital,Gardenal,Hysteps,Luminal,Phenobarbital Sodium,Phenobarbital, Monosodium Salt,Phenylethylbarbituric Acid,Acid, Phenylethylbarbituric,Monosodium Salt Phenobarbital,Sodium, Phenobarbital
D011518	Proto-Oncogene Proteins	Products of proto-oncogenes. Normally they do not have oncogenic or transforming properties, but are involved in the regulation or differentiation of cell growth. They often have protein kinase activity.	Cellular Proto-Oncogene Proteins,c-onc Proteins,Proto Oncogene Proteins, Cellular,Proto-Oncogene Products, Cellular,Cellular Proto Oncogene Proteins,Cellular Proto-Oncogene Products,Proto Oncogene Products, Cellular,Proto Oncogene Proteins,Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Cellular,c onc Proteins
D011905	Genes, ras	Family of retrovirus-associated DNA sequences (ras) originally isolated from Harvey (H-ras, Ha-ras, rasH) and Kirsten (K-ras, Ki-ras, rasK) murine sarcoma viruses. Ras genes are widely conserved among animal species and sequences corresponding to both H-ras and K-ras genes have been detected in human, avian, murine, and non-vertebrate genomes. The closely related N-ras gene has been detected in human neuroblastoma and sarcoma cell lines. All genes of the family have a similar exon-intron structure and each encodes a p21 protein.	Ha-ras Genes,Ki-ras Genes,N-ras Genes,c-Ha-ras Genes,c-Ki-ras Genes,c-N-ras Genes,ras Genes,v-Ha-ras Genes,v-Ki-ras Genes,H-ras Genes,H-ras Oncogenes,Ha-ras Oncogenes,K-ras Genes,K-ras Oncogenes,Ki-ras Oncogenes,N-ras Oncogenes,c-H-ras Genes,c-H-ras Proto-Oncogenes,c-Ha-ras Proto-Oncogenes,c-K-ras Genes,c-K-ras Proto-Oncogenes,c-Ki-ras Proto-Oncogenes,c-N-ras Proto-Oncogenes,ras Oncogene,v-H-ras Genes,v-H-ras Oncogenes,v-Ha-ras Oncogenes,v-K-ras Genes,v-K-ras Oncogenes,v-Ki-ras Oncogenes,Gene, Ha-ras,Gene, Ki-ras,Gene, v-Ha-ras,Gene, v-Ki-ras,Genes, Ha-ras,Genes, Ki-ras,Genes, N-ras,Genes, v-Ha-ras,Genes, v-Ki-ras,H ras Genes,H ras Oncogenes,H-ras Gene,H-ras Oncogene,Ha ras Genes,Ha ras Oncogenes,Ha-ras Gene,Ha-ras Oncogene,K ras Genes,K ras Oncogenes,K-ras Gene,K-ras Oncogene,Ki ras Genes,Ki ras Oncogenes,Ki-ras Gene,Ki-ras Oncogene,N ras Genes,N ras Oncogenes,N-ras Gene,N-ras Oncogene,c H ras Genes,c H ras Proto Oncogenes,c Ha ras Genes,c Ha ras Proto Oncogenes,c K ras Genes,c K ras Proto Oncogenes,c Ki ras Genes,c Ki ras Proto Oncogenes,c N ras Genes,c N ras Proto Oncogenes,c-H-ras Gene,c-H-ras Proto-Oncogene,c-Ha-ras Gene,c-Ha-ras Proto-Oncogene,c-K-ras Gene,c-K-ras Proto-Oncogene,c-Ki-ras Gene,c-Ki-ras Proto-Oncogene,c-N-ras Gene,c-N-ras Proto-Oncogene,ras Gene,ras Oncogenes,v H ras Genes,v H ras Oncogenes,v Ha ras Genes,v Ha ras Oncogenes,v K ras Genes,v K ras Oncogenes,v Ki ras Genes,v Ki ras Oncogenes,v-H-ras Gene,v-H-ras Oncogene,v-Ha-ras Gene,v-Ha-ras Oncogene,v-K-ras Gene,v-K-ras Oncogene,v-Ki-ras Gene,v-Ki-ras Oncogene
D012150	Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length	Variation occurring within a species in the presence or length of DNA fragment generated by a specific endonuclease at a specific site in the genome. Such variations are generated by mutations that create or abolish recognition sites for these enzymes or change the length of the fragment.	RFLP,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism,RFLPs,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms