Abstract
p53 gene is one of the most frequently mutated genes found in the human colonic tumors. Mice have been used as an experimental model to study the pathogenesis of colon cancer in humans. The alterations in cancer genes and proteins found in the mouse large intestinal tumors included mutations which are hallmarks of human colon cancer, probably contributed to the pathogenesis of the large intestinal carcinomas in mice following o-nitrotoluene (o-nt) exposure. Aim of Study: Detection of p53 gene mutations in colon precancerous stage. Materials and Methods: In this study, mice colon precancerous stage induced by o-nt were examined for the presence of point mutations in highly conserved coding region (exons 5-8) and outside it (exons 10, 11) using a single-strand conformation polymorphism assay (SSCP). Results: SSCP analysis showed no differences in banding patterns between the normal negative control group and o-nt-induced precancerous stage in mice colon. Conclusion: The results from the present study indicate that point mutations in the p53 gene, in the coding region (exons 5-8) and outside it (exons 10, 11), are not involved in the development of the colon precancerous stage induced by o-nt in mice.