       Document 0235
 DOCN  M9620235
 TI    Mycoplasmas and oncogenesis: persistent infection and multistage
       malignant transformation.
 DT    9602
 AU    Tsai S; Wear DJ; Shih JW; Lo SC; American Registry of Pathology,
       Department of Infectious and; Parasitic Disease Pathology, Armed Forces
       Institute of Pathology,; Washington, DC 20306-6000, USA.
 SO    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Oct 24;92(22):10197-201. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96036051
 AB    Oncogenic potential of human mycoplasmas was studied using cultured
       mouse embryo cells, C3H/10T1/2 (C3H). Mycoplasma fermentans and
       Mycoplasma penetrans, mycoplasmas found in unusually high frequencies
       among patients with AIDS, were examined. Instead of acute
       transformation, a multistage process in promotion and progression of
       malignant cell transformation with long latency was noted; after 6
       passages (1 wk per passage) of persistent infection with M. fermentans,
       C3H cells exhibited phenotypic changes with malignant characteristics
       that became progressively more prominent with further prolonged
       infection. Up to at least the 11th passage, all malignant changes were
       reversible if mycoplasmas were eradicated by antibiotic treatment.
       Further persistent infection with the mycoplasmas until 18 passages
       resulted in an irreversible form of transformation that included the
       ability to form tumors in animals and high soft agar cloning efficiency.
       Whereas chromosomal loss and translocational changes in C3H cells
       infected by either mycoplasma during the reversible stage were not
       prominent, the onset of the irreversible phase of transformation
       coincided with such karyotypic alteration. Genetic instability--i.e.,
       prominent chromosomal alteration of permanently transformed cells--was
       most likely caused by mutation of a gene(s) responsible for fidelity of
       DNA replication or repair. Once induced, chromosomal alterations
       continued to accumulate both in cultured cells and in animals without
       the continued presence of the transforming microbes. Mycoplasma-mediated
       multistage oncogenesis exhibited here shares many characteristics found
       in the development of human cancer.
 DE    Animal  AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*MICROBIOLOGY  Cell
       Division  Cell Line  *Cell Transformation, Neoplastic  Cells, Cultured
       Chromosome Deletion  Chromosome Mapping  Clone Cells  Embryo  Human
       Karyotyping  Mice  Mice, Inbred C3H  Mice, Nude  *Mycoplasma fermentans
       *Mycoplasma penetrans  Mycoplasma Infections/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY  Support,
       U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  Translocation (Genetics)  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

