Specific locus mutagenesis of human mammary epithelial cells by ultraviolet radiation

Tissue and locus specificity of mutation induction was studied in human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC). Primary HMEC from normal tissue, as well as immortalized HMEC (184B5) derived from normal HMEC, were cultured under identical conditions and exposed to 10 J/m2 ultraviolet (UV) radiation (254 nm peak wavelength), which produced approximately 50% mean survival in all cell strains and lines tested. UV radiation was found to induce mutations at the Na(+)-K+ ATPase locus as determined by ouabain-resistance in both normal and immortalized HMEC. Mutation frequencies measured in these cells following UV exposure were similar to those reported for human diploid fibroblasts. In addition, mutation induction was investigated at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) locus in normal and immortalized HMEC. Induced mutations at the HPRT locus as determined by 6-thioguanine resistance in normal primary HMEC were not observed following UV radiation. In contrast, mutation induction was observed at this locus in UV-exposed immortalized HMEC.