Genetic control of the regulation of cell susceptibility to carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons by cyclic AMP

The metabolism of benzo (a) pyrene (BP) in normal golden hamster and BHK cells in culture was increased by treating the cells with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dcAMP), prostaglandin E 1 , theohylline or aminophylline. The largest increase, 6‐fold for the normal cells and 20‐fold for the BHK cells, was obtained by treatment with both dcAMP and aminophylline. Treatment with aminophylline also stimulated the metabolism of 20‐methylcholanthrene and 7,12‐dimethylbenz (a) anthracene. The increased metabolism of these three carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons was associated with an increased cytotoxicity. Treatment with aminophylline increased the cytotoxicity of five other potent and weak carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons, but not of two non‐carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. The amount of BP metabolism in 27 different cell types from various mammals, including humans, ranged from less than 0.1 μg to 2.3 μg metabolized BP per 10 6 cells. Treatment of these different cell types with aminophylline gave either an increase in BP metabolism, an induction of metabolism in cells that did not metabolize without aminophylline, or no induction after treatment with aminophylline and dcAMP. The existence of responding and non‐responding cell lines indicates that the regulation of the level of polycyclic hydrocarbon metabolism by dcAMP is genetically controlled. The induction of metabolism in cells that did not metabolize without aminophylline resulted in the conversion of cell resistance to cell susceptibility to the cytotoxic effect of BP. Treatment with dcAMP and aminophylline can therefore be used to increase the sensitivity of screening tests for chemical carcinogens.