Abstract  Styrene (ST) is an important industrial chemical. In long-term inhalation studies, ST-induced lung tumors in mice but not in rats. To test the hypothesis that the lung burden by the reactive metabolite styrene-7,8-oxide (SO) would be most relevant for the species-specific tumorigenicity, we investigated the SO burden in isolated lungs of male Sprague-Dawley rats and in-situ prepared lungs of male B6C3F1 mice ventilated with air containing vaporous ST and perfused with a modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer (37°C). Styrene vapor concentrations were determined in air samples collected in the immediate vicinity of the trachea. They were almost constant during each experiment. Styrene exposures ranged from 50 to 980 ppm (rats) and from 40 to 410 ppm (mice). SO was quantified from the effluent perfusate. Lungs of both species metabolized ST to SO. After a mathematical translation of the ex-vivo data to ventilation and perfusion conditions as they are occurring in vivo, a species comparison was carried out. At ST concentrations of up to 410 ppm, mean SO levels in mouse lungs ranged up to 0.45 nmol/g lung, about 2 times higher than in rat lungs at equal conditions of ST exposure. We conclude that the species difference in the SO lung burden is too small to consider the genotoxicity of SO as sufficient for explaining the fact that only mice developed lung tumors when exposed to ST. Another cause is considered as driving force for lung tumor development in the mouse.

Abstract  Fifty-nine chemicals that had completed National Cancer Institute rat and mouse 2-year carcinogenicity tests were tested in the strain A mouse pulmonary tumor assay. Without knowledge of chemical identity, 53 chemicals were tested in strain A mice in one laboratory and 30 were tested in a second independent laboratory. Strain A tests on 24 of these chemicals were conducted in both laboratories. The strain A results were generally not predictive of the 2-year rat and mouse carcinogenicity test results. Furthermore, there was poor agreement of strain A results between the two laboratories. Although a variety of explanations may be invoked to explain the lack of concordance between the strain A tests and the 2-year rat and mouse tests, no one factor is sufficient to rationalize the poor concordance between strain A and 2-year carcinogenicity bioassay results.

Abstract  In recent years several new mouse models for lung cancer have been described. These include models for both non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Tumorigenesis in these conditional mouse tumor models can be initiated in adult mice through Cre-recombinase-induced activation of oncogenic mutations in a subset of the cells. They present a marked improvement over mouse models that depend on carcinogen induction of tumors. These models permit us to study the consecutive steps involved in initiation and progression and allow us to address questions like the cell of origin, and the role of cancer stem cells in the maintenance of these tumors. They now need to be validated as suitable preclinical models for intervention studies in which questions with respect to therapy response and resistance can be addressed.

Abstract  The lung, which is in intimate contact with the external environment, is exposed to a number of toxicants both by virtue of its large surface area and because it receives 100% of the cardiac output. Lung diseases are a major disease entity in the U.S. population ranking third in terms of morbidity and mortality. Despite the importance of these diseases, key issues remain to be resolved regarding the interactions of chemicals with lung tissue and the factors that are critical determinants of chemical-induced lung injury. The importance of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase dependent metabolism in chemical-induced lung injury in animal models was established over 25 years ago with the furan, 4-ipomeanol. Since then, the significance of biotransformation and the reasons for the high degree of pulmonary selectivity for a myriad of different chemicals has been well documented, mainly in rodent models. However, with many of these chemicals there are substantial differences in the susceptibility of rats vs. mice. Even within the same species, varied levels of the respiratory tract respond differently. Thus, key pieces of data are still missing when evaluating the applicability of data generated in rodents to primates, and as a result of this, there are substantial uncertainties within the regulatory community with regards to assessing the risks to humans for exposure to some of these chemicals. For example, all of the available data suggest that the levels of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in rodent lungs are 10-100 times greater than those measured in the lungs of nonhuman primates or in man. At first glance, this suggests that a significant margin of safety exists when evaluating the applicability of rodent studies in the human, but the issues are more complex. The intent of this review is to outline some of the work conducted on the site and species selective toxicity and metabolism of the volatile lung toxic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene. We argue that a complete understanding of the cellular and biochemical mechanisms by which this and other lung toxic compounds generate their effects in rodent models with subsequent measurement of these cellular and biochemical events in primate and human tissues in vitro will provide a far better basis for judging whether the results of studies done in rodent models are applicable to humans.

Abstract  The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP) and North America (STP) to develop an internationally-accepted nomenclature for proliferative and non-proliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in the respiratory tract of laboratory rats and mice, with color photomicrographs illustrating examples of some lesions. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous developmental and aging lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for respiratory tract lesions in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

Abstract  Female Swiss mice (Cr:NIH(S)) developed bronchiolar cell hyperplasia, dysplasia, metaplasia, and various morphologic types of bronchiolar cell tumors after topical (skin) application of N-nitroso-methyl-bis-chloroethylurea (NMBCU) or N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU). These compounds are the first found to induce systemically bronchiolar cell tumors in mice in high incidence. Twice a week, with a 3-day interval, a 25-microliter drop of 0.04 mol/l (molar) NMBCU or NTCU in acetone was applied to the shaved interscapular integument for a maximum of 35 to 40 weeks. The earliest lung neoplasms were seen in mice that died after 23 weeks of treatment and affected 11 of 19 with NMBCU and 14 of 19 with NTCU treatment. Tumor growth pattern was nodular or the neoplastic tissue was frequently disseminated throughout the parenchyma, starting from multicentric peribronchiolar foci. The most common tumor types were squamous cell carcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas, followed by adenocarcinomas with or without secretory cells, and a single ciliated-cell tumor. Histochemical and immunohistochemical studies were carried out on paraffin-embedded lungs using the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase complex procedure and antisera against keratin, Clara cell antigen, surfactant apoprotein, neuron-specific enolase, bombesin, and chromogranin A. In several mice from both groups, hyperplasias and tumors were composed of cells expressing Clara cell antigen. No tumor cells were found expressing alveolar type II or neuroendocrine cell markers. It appeared that bronchiolar cells, in particular Clara cells, had migrated from terminal bronchioles or invaded bronchiolar walls to extend into the alveolar parenchyma. Squamous cell metaplasia with keratin expression was seen within airways or associated with glandular tumors, especially at the periphery. A unique cell type, with large eosinophilic globules and associated eosinophilic crystals, was seen lining airways or forming hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions. N-nitroso-methyl-bis-chloroethylurea- and NTCU-induced mouse bronchiolar cell alterations could be an interesting new model to study mechanisms of bronchiolar cell differentiation and tumor formation.

Abstract  Identifying the cells of origin of lung cancer may lead to new therapeutic strategies. Previous work has focused upon the putative bronchoalveolar stem cell at the bronchioalveolar duct junction as a cancer cell of origin when a codon 12 K-Ras mutant is induced via adenoviral Cre inhalation. In the present study, we use two "knock-in" Cre-estrogen receptor alleles to inducibly express K-RasG12D in CC10(+) epithelial cells and Sftpc(+) type II alveolar cells of the adult mouse lung. Analysis of these mice identifies type II cells, Clara cells in the terminal bronchioles, and putative bronchoalveolar stem cells as cells of origin for K-Ras-induced lung hyperplasia. However, only type II cells appear to progress to adenocarcinoma.

Abstract  Human lung cancer is responsible for approximately 30% of all cancer deaths worldwide with >160,000 deaths in the United States alone annually. Recent advances in the identification of novel mutations relevant to lung cancer from a myriad of genomic studies might translate into meaningful diagnostic and therapeutic progress. Towards this end, a genetic model animal system that can validate the oncogenic roles of these mutations in vivo would facilitate the understanding of the pathogenesis of lung cancer as well as provide ideal preclinical models for targeted therapy testing. The mouse is a promising model system, as complex human genetic traits causal to lung cancer, from inherited polymorphisms to somatic mutations, can be recapitulated in its genome via genetic manipulation. We present here a brief overview of the existing mouse models of lung cancers and the challenges and opportunities for building the next generation of lung cancer mouse models.

Abstract  Human adenocarcinoma (AC) is the most frequently diagnosed human lung cancer, and its absolute incidence is increasing dramatically. Compared to human lung AC, the A/J mouse-urethane model exhibits similar histological appearance and molecular changes. We examined the gene expression profiles of human and murine lung tissues (normal or AC) and compared the two species' datasets after aligning approximately 7500 orthologous genes. A list of 409 gene classifiers (P value <0.0001), common to both species (joint classifiers), showed significant, positive correlation in expression levels between the two species. A number of previously reported expression changes were recapitulated in both species, such as changes in glycolytic enzymes and cell-cycle proteins. Unexpectedly, joint classifiers in angiogenesis were uniformly down-regulated in tumor tissues. The eicosanoid pathway enzymes prostacyclin synthase (PGIS) and inducible prostaglandin E(2) synthase (PGES) were joint classifiers that showed opposite effects in lung AC (PGIS down-regulated; PGES up-regulated). Finally, tissue microarrays identified the same protein expression pattern for PGIS and PGES in 108 different non-small cell lung cancer biopsies, and the detection of PGIS had statistically significant prognostic value in patient survival. Thus, the A/J mouse-urethane model reflects significant molecular details of human lung AC, and comparison of changes in orthologous gene expression may provide novel insights into lung carcinogenesis.

Abstract  Rapid advances in generating new mouse genetic models for lung neoplasia provide a continuous challenge for pathologists and investigators. Frequently, phenotypes of new models either have no precedents or are arbitrarily attributed according to incongruent human and mouse classifications. Thus, comparative characterization and validation of novel models can be difficult. To address these issues, a series of discussions was initiated by a panel of human, veterinary, and experimental pathologists during the Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (NIH/National Cancer Institute) workshop on mouse models of lung cancer held in Boston on June 20-22, 2001. The panel performed a comparative evaluation of 78 cases of mouse and human lung proliferative lesions, and recommended development of a new practical classification scheme that would (a) allow easier comparison between human and mouse lung neoplasms, (b) accommodate newly emerging mouse neoplasms, and (c) address the interpretation of benign and preinvasive lesions of the mouse lung. Subsequent discussions with additional experts in pulmonary pathology resulted in the current proposal of a new classification. It is anticipated that this classification, as well as the complementary digital atlas of virtual histological slides, will help investigators and pathologists in their characterization of new mouse models, as well as stimulate further research aimed at a better understanding of proliferative lesions of the lung.

Abstract  The development of naturally occurring lung tumors is related to aging. In rats, mice, and hamsters younger than 12 months naturally occurring pulmonary tumors are exceedingly rare. The majority of them are found in animals older than 20 months. Even then the prevalence in rats and Syrian hamsters is very low whereas in certain strains of mice pulmonary tumors occur quite frequently. The interpretation of long-term animal studies resulting in primary neoplasms of the respiratory tract requires classification of tumors. Because most long-term studies are carried out in rats, the recent literature contains more reports on classification and description of lung tumors for this species.

Abstract  Alveolar type-II cells were isolated from the lungs of fetuses (day 18 of gestation) of the A/WySnAf (A/Sn) mouse strain, which were treated in utero at day 15 with the directly-acting carcinogen N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). The isolated type-II cells were again treated with ENU during their initial growth in vitro. After a prolonged culture period, 5 cell lines were obtained, which were identified as type-II cell lines. Differences between cell lines were found with respect to contact-inhibited growth, cell doubling time and ability to grow in a serum-free medium. Two out of the 5 cell lines produced highly invasive type-II cell carcinomas after s.c. injection of 5 x 10(6) cells into nude mice. Thus, both tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic mouse alveolar type-II cell lines were derived after this combined in vivo and in vitro carcinogen treatment of fetal mouse alveolar type-II cells. This offers the possibility of studying in vitro the factors thought to influence lung tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, our findings strongly suggest that alveolar type-II cells are the progenitor cells of malignant mouse lung tumors.

Abstract  Twenty-five mouse lung tumors induced by a single urethan treatment in female A/J, BALB/c, and (A/J x C3H/He)F1 (AC3) mice were analyzed for the presence of mutations at codon 61 of the Ki-ras gene and for the expression of the surfactant protein A (SP-A), retinoblastoma (Rb), growth arrest-specific-3 (gas-3), p53, c-myc, and thymidylate synthase (TS) genes. Ki-ras codon 61 mutations were detected in 22 of 25 tumor samples without differences among strains. In comparison with normal lungs, all the tumors showed increased SP-A mRNA levels, indicating their derivation from alveolar type II pneumocytes or Clara cells. Rb and gas-3 transcripts were instead found in all tumors at about tenfold and about 20-fold reduced levels, respectively. No apparent structural alterations or loss of heterozygosity at the Rb locus was detected in any tumors. The p53 mRNA was observed without variation in quantity or size in lung tumors and normal tissue. A threefold to fivefold c-myc overexpression was observed, without amplification of the gene. TS expression was only slightly increased, indicating no great differences in cell proliferation between lung tumors and normal tissue. Our data suggest that the pathogenesis of urethan-induced lung tumors in mice involves specific and recurrent molecular alterations (Ki-ras mutations, decrease of Rb and gas-3 expression, and increase of c-myc expression) that could represent different steps in lung carcinogenesis.

Abstract  In the mouse, the histocompatibility-2 (H-2) haplotype influences induction of lung and intestinal tumors by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) treatment of fetuses or infant mice. The differentiation of lung and intestinal epithelium is known to be regulated by glucocorticoids. We show that glucocorticoid-induced development of alveolar lung volume is H-2 influenced and that glucocorticoid treatment of fetuses also influences prenatal ENU induction of lung and intestinal tumors. These glucocorticoid effects on tumorigenesis are also H-2 influenced. The number of papillary lung tumors increased in B10 (H-2b) and decreased in B10.A (H-2a) mice. In the intestine, the number of tumors increased in H-2b females and decreased in H-2b males. In H-2a mice, the number of intestinal tumors was unchanged but their location was altered. We propose that the H-2 complex influences tumorigenesis in lung and small intestine by affecting the hormonal regulation of differentiation of target epithelial cells.

Abstract  Alveolar type II cell tumors were induced transplacentally by intraperitoneal injection of pregnant C3H/HeNCr MTV- or Swiss Webster mice with N-nitrosoethylurea at a dose of 0.5 mmol/kg and 0.74 mmol/kg. At different time points after birth (1-32 weeks), the entire lungs from 40 of the male offspring were inflated with Bouin's fixative, separated into lobes, and sectioned at 5 microns serially to detect every microscopic lesion. Results were compared with those obtained from examining only every 10th, 20th, or a single midlevel section from the same material. On average, 150 serial sections were prepared per mouse lung. Initially, only purely solid/alveolar or purely tubulopapillary types were observed but with tumor progression, papillary structures developed within solid tumors resulting in mixed neoplasms. Analyzing mouse lungs in step sections of every 10th section (50-60 microns), 5/238 (2%) of the tumors were missed, in step sections of every 20th section (100-120 microns), 16/238 (7%) of the tumors were not detected and usually less than half of the tumors were seen in the single mid-level section. The approximate size of the neoplasms is indicated by the total number of sections per tumor. The dimensions of tumors evaluated with step sections of 10 or 20 were comparable to the size observed with serial sections. It is concluded that the evaluation of mouse lung tumors in steps of approximately 50 microns is basically equivalent to the study of serial sections and appears to be a feasible method to assess the complete incidence, histological type, and size of all proliferative processes throughout the entire lung.

Abstract  The localization of surfactant apoprotein (SAP) and the Clara cell antigen(s) (CCA) was studied in naturally occurring and experimentally induced pulmonary hyperplasias and neoplasms by avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) immunocytochemistry. Lungs of B6C3F1 and A strain mice with naturally occurring lesions, B6C3F1 mice given injections of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN), BALB/c nu/nu or nu/+ mice exposed transplacentally on Day 16 of gestation to ethylnitrosourea (ENU), or BALB/c nu/+ mice exposed to ENU at 8-12 weeks of age were preserved in formalin or Bouin's fixative. After ABC immunocytochemistry, SAP was found in the cytoplasm of normal alveolar Type II cells; in the majority of cells in focal alveolar and solid hyperplasias originating in peribronchiolar or peripheral locations; and in solid, tubular, papillary, and mixed adenomas and carcinomas. The larger mixed-pattern neoplasms and small or large tubular neoplasms usually had the least number of cells with SAP. The majority of large papillary adenomas and carcinomas in BALB/c mice exposed to ENU and in untreated A strain mice contained SAP in the nuclei of many neoplastic cells but only in the cytoplasm of a few neoplastic cells. CCA was found in normal Clara cells of bronchi and bronchioles but not in any hyperplastic or neoplastic lesion of any mouse studied. This study provided immunocytochemical evidence that the vast majority of naturally occurring and experimentally induced pulmonary neoplasms of mice are alveolar Type II cell adenomas and carcinomas.

Abstract  The morphology of spontaneous and chemically-induced metastasizing carcinomas and adenomas in the bronchiolo-alveolar region of F-344 rats was studied. Histologically, the tumors were tubulo-papillary. Ultra-structurally, they consisted of cells which formed and secreted osmiophilic lamellated inclusion bodies, a marker of alveolar type II cells. Mitotic tumor cells also demonstrated such bodies. No cells of bronchial or bronchiolar origin were found in the tumors. We conclude that in F344 rats, lung tumors located in the bronchioloalveolar region consist of alveolar type II cells exclusively and are, therefore, alveolar cell adenomas and carcinomas, respectively.

Abstract  The lower respiratory system is a hierarchical system with two functional and structural components, the conducting tract (airways) and the respiratory zone. Differences between mouse and human exist in both the gross anatomy and histology of the lungs. Many of these are due to species differences in size, metabolic rate, and respiratory rate.

Abstract  There is now a great deal of data available that show that BHT enhances the development of lung tumors in mice. In many ways BHT behaves like a promoting agent. Interestingly, it also has tumor enhancing or promoting properties in other organs than mouse lung, such as rat liver, rat bladder, possibly rat GI tract, and in in vitro systems. The development of lung tumors by BHT may be influenced by comparatively low exposure regimens; the minimum dose found so far to be effective is 6 intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg of BHT of feeding a diet containing 500 ppm of BHT for 2 weeks. While these findings seem to require that the continued use of BHT as a food additive needs to be reevaluated, it should be mentioned that other considerations have led to the conclusion that the use of BHT probably has a large margin of safety. This makes it important to establish the mechanism of action of BHT which at this time remains unknown.

Abstract  This chapter focuses on the genetics of murine lung tumors. Some studies indicate that susceptibility to lung tumorigenesis is determined by a single gene, while other studies suggest the involvement of multiple genes. Most studies on the genetics of lung tumorigenesis in mice have considered tumor incidence and the number of tumors per animal as the phenotype, without considering the size of neoplastic lesions. There is no relationship between the susceptibility of any given mouse strain to lung tumors and its susceptibility to tumors of other organs. Susceptibility to spontaneous lung tumor development is paralleled by susceptibility to the induction of the same tumor type by chemical carcinogens. The study and identification of genetic factors affecting inherited predisposition to lung tumorigenesis in mice are of great interest as a model system for understanding pathogenetic mechanisms. Inbred mice represent good model systems for the identification of the number and chromosomal localization of genetic loci predisposing lung tumor development. The knowledge of the genetics of lung tumor susceptibility in mice is growing very quickly. Lung tumor is a relatively common type of cancer in humans, and the familial clustering of cases is rare compared to colon and breast cancer, where both nonhereditary and familial cases are recognized. The murine strains predisposed to lung tumor development may provide a unique experimental system for the analysis of the genetics of these tumors.

Abstract  About 10 years have elapsed since the first whole-genome scanning studies in the mouse to identify loci that affect susceptibility or resistance to tumorigenesis. In that time, >100 cancer modifiers have been mapped, and four strong candidate genes have been identified. Cancer modifier loci affect almost all types of mouse tumorigenesis, with some loci acting on the entire tumorigenic process, whereas others act on specific stages, e.g., tumor initiation or tumor growth/progression. Present evidence indicates that the effects of cancer modifier loci are tissue-specific and restricted to tumor cells. However, a subset of such loci may be involved in different types of tumors, and several chromosomal regions show significant clustering of cancer modifier loci. Human homologues of mouse cancer modifier loci most likely exist and play a role in the risk of sporadic cancer, although present experimental evidence for this possibility is sparse. Mouse cancer modifier loci might serve as the basis for understanding the genetic and biochemical mechanisms of polygenic inheritance of cancer predisposition/resistance. Identification of homologous cancer modifier loci in humans might, in turn, provide a step toward the development of diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies that target these loci.