Association of tumorigenic and nontumorigenic (immunogenic) variants in a mouse t‐cell lymphoma with two distinct p53 mutations

An in vitro model system for xenogenization has been developed in which an immunogenic, nonmalignant phenotype was selected from a highly malignant T‐cell line (S49). We showed by single‐strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequence analysis that specific point mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene correlated with a change from a tumorigenic to a nontumorigenic (immunogenic) phenotype. Specifically, we found that the highly malignant S49 cell line T‐60 contains an Arg→Gln substitution at residue 246 in exon 7 of p53. In contrast, nontumorigenic (immunogenic) variants (T‐25‐Adh and Rev‐1) exhibited a Gly→Ser substitution at residue 242 of p53. In two subsequent tumorigenic revertants derived from Rev‐1, we again found the Arg→Gln substitution at residue 246 that was found initially in the T‐60 cells. Thus, mutation at residue 246 of p53 was associated with a highly malignant phenotype, whereas a novel mutation at residue 242 of p53 appeared to be associated with a nonmalignant phenotype and may have actually protected the host through immunization. We conclude that mutation of residue 242 may represent a new class of permissive (nonmalignant) mutations in the mouse that are analogous to the Li‐Fraumeni mutation in humans. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.