ABSTRACT
An approach to the development of human cell systems for studies of in vitro transformation has involved immortalizing the cells with viral genes introduced by one or more transfection procedures and treatment of the immortalized cells with chemical carcinogens or transfected oncogenes to achieve transformation to the tumorigenic endpoint. This chapter describes the development of an in vitro system for studies of the neoplastic transformation of normal human esophageal epithelial cells (NHE). NHE cells were immortalized by transfection with simian virus-40 (SV40) early-region genes, and the immortalized cells were transformed to the tumorigenic phenotype following treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitroso-guanidine (MNNG). This cell transformation system will be useful for investigating the molecular events involved in the conversion of normal human esophageal epithelial cells to cancer cells.
