The immature thymocyte is protected from N-methylnitrosourea-induced lymphoma by the human MGMT-CD2 transgene

N-methylnitrosourea (MNU) induces thymic lymphoma in a high proportion of susceptible C57BL/6xSJL (C57/SJL) mice. Expression of the human DNA repair gene, MGMT cDNA, which encodes O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase, in transgenic mice effectively prevents MNU-induced thymic lymphomas. In this study, we determined the phenotype of thymocytes expressing the transgene and defined whether the target cell population for MNU induced lymphomas were actually those that expressed the transgene. Transgene expression was characterized by in situ hybridization for MGMT mRNA and immunohistochemistry for the human alkyltransferase protein and was compared to the phenotype of the MNU induced lymphomas. The MGMT transgene was expressed uniformly in immature cortical thymocytes that were CD4+CD8+J11d+ and to a lesser extent in the medullary thymocyte. Lymphomas were induced by single [50 or 80 mg/kg] or multiple doses [30 mg/kg x 5] of MNU to evaluate the dose response of tumor induction and protection by the MGMT-CD2 transgene. Forty-seven of the 108 treated mice developed lymphomas: 38 of 58 nontransgenic and 9 of 50 MGMT+ mice. The T-cell phenotype of thymic lymphomas was established by immunohistochemistry and FACS analysis. Most of the lymphomas were J11d+ (98%), 70% of the tumors were CD4+CD8+, 21% were CD4-CD8+, 9% were CD4-CD8-, and none were CD4-CD8-. All lymphomas in MGMT+ transgenic mice were CD4+CD8+. Since the main phenotype of MNU induced lymphomas in these mice, CD4+CD8+J11d+, is also the cell phenotype which expresses the MGMT-CD2 transgene at high levels, it appears that MGMT-induced protection has occurred in the cell target for MNU induced transformation.