Nucleolar organizer regions as a marker of incipient transformation in a model of experimental carcinogenesis

Nucleolar organizer regions stained selectively with a silver colloid technique (AgNOR) were evaluated during the process of tumour promotion in the skin of mice. Tumour promotion and control skin samples were processed for identification of AgNOR by light microscopy and submitted to a morphometric study of the following AgNOR-related variables: nuclear area (V.NUC); AgNOR number per nucleus (N.NOR); single AgNOR area (V.NOR); total AgNOR area per nucleus (TV.NOR) and proportion of nucleus occupied by AgNOR (TV.NOR/V.NUC). N.NOR exhibited significant differences between control and tumour tissue, but in the promotion period, N.NOR did not exhibit a significant rise until week 24. V.NOR and TV.NOR rose significantly as early as 2 weeks after the onset of promotion when the cells fail to exhibit unusual microscopic features. The significant increase in AgNOR material at the beginning of the promotion period reveals the potential value of the variables assessed in the early quantitative evaluation of cellular alterations which could be linked to the probability of tumour development. Rise in AgNOR material would indicate transcriptional activation leading to an increase in protein synthesis and, ultimately, to the expression of an altered phenotype.