Elevated expression and cell cycle deregulation of a mitosis-associated target polypeptide of a carcinogen in hyperplastic and malignant rat hepatocytes.

A cytoplasmic polypeptide with a molecular weight of 14,000 (p14) was previously found to be the principal covalent target protein of the carcinogen, N-2-fluorenylacetamide (2-acetylaminofluorene), early during carcinogenesis in rat liver. The level of immunodetected p14 was markedly increased specifically during all stages of mitosis of hepatocytes in normal and regenerating partially hepatectomized livers. In addition, the polypeptide appeared to be immunologically and behaviorally related to a polypeptide with a molecular weight of 17,500 that is tightly bound to nucleosomes of chromatin in hepatocytes. This report describes the actions of the two polypeptides during hepatocarcinogenesis induced by ingestion of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene or N-2-fluorenylacetamide. Both carcinogens acted similarly in bringing about characteristic responses of the two polypeptides, detected immunohistochemically with specific rabbit antiserum and peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. Four types of discrete hepatocytic lesions were observed. The earliest and least aberrant were hyperplastic foci of proliferating hepatocytes, which generally displayed markedly higher levels of immunostained p14 in cytoplasm, compared to levels in normal diploid hepatocytes. Furthermore, the very high concentrations of p14 were continuously present during cell interphase, in contrast to those in normal and regenerating hepatocytes, in which the elevation is restricted to the period of mitosis. Later-arising lesions were acidophilic adenomas of hepatocytes, which were characterized by quiescent morphology, fairly uniform and bulky eosinophilic cytoplasm, high levels of glycogen, and small delicate nuclei. These cells usually displayed little cytoplasmic p14. Coexistent hepatocytic lesions, i.e., mixed basophilic adenomas, exhibited considerable morphological heterogeneity, often slightly basophilic cytoplasm, and variable immunostain of cytoplasmic p14 during interphase. The fourth lesions were hepatocellular carcinomas, which continuously demonstrated much higher than normal levels of cytoplasmic p14 during cell interphase. During mitosis in the four types of hepatocytic lesions, the levels of immunostained p14 were usually further elevated above those in interphase, regardless of whether they were already very high during interphase in hyperplasia and malignancy, or low in acidophilic adenomas. All four kinds of carcinogen-altered lesions usually displayed little of the detectable Mr 17,500 polypeptide in nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)