HNF transfection with chondrosarcoma DNA results in the development of a sarcoma cell surface-associated epitope

High molecular weight DNA, which was isolated from a chondrosarcoma cell line, was transfected into human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts and NIH/3T3 cells. Both types of transfected cells expressed anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and produced tumors in nude mice. The tumors which developed in nude mice following injection of transfected human fibroblasts grew to approximately 0.8 cm in diameter in four weeks. The tumors which developed from transfected NIH/3T3 cells grew to greater than 2.0 cm in diameter in 6 weeks. After growth in soft agar the transfected human fibroblasts expressed a cell surface sarcoma-associated epitope recognized by the monoclonal antibody 345.134S. In addition to the transfected human fibroblasts, the original human chondrosarcoma tumor, the chondrosarcoma cell line derived from the tumor, and the nude mouse tumor which developed from transfected human fibroblasts all exhibited positive reactivity with the monoclonal antibody 345.134S. Transfected NIH/3T3 cells that exhibited anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity did not exhibit detectable reactivity with the monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that the expression of the tumor-associated cell surface antigen appears to be an early event correlated with transformation of the transfected human cells but not directly related to the tumorigenic potential of the DNA. The transfected cells which expressed anchorage independent growth exhibited the sarcoma cell surface antigen prior to attaining the potential for tumorigenicity.