Characterization of cell lines derived from formaldehyde-induced nasal tumors in rats

Cell lines derived from formaldehyde-induced nasal tumors in Fischer 344 rats were established. All of the lines were found to be epithelial and aneuploid and to express keratin, transforming growth factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor transcripts. Two of four lines were tumorigenic upon injection into nude mice, and these lines also contained point mutations in the p53 suppressor gene. The data indicate that these lines possess characteristics that make them a valuable tool for the study of chemically induced respiratory tract carcinogenesis.