Tumor profile of novel p53 heterozygous Tg.AC (v-Ha-ras) bitransgenic mice treated with benzo(a)pyrene and fed dietary N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC).

We designed a novel short-term bitransgenic model to better characterize the effects of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) exposure on multi-organ carcinogenesis and to evaluate the effects of a well-recognized antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), on neoplasia. We selected the p53 heterozygous Tg.AC (v-Ha-ras) mouse model for our studies because these mice possess a carcinogen-inducible ras oncogene and one functional p53 tumor suppressor allele.

Tumor spectrum in the p53 heterozygous zeta globin-promoted Tg.AC (v-Ha-ras) bitransgenic mouse model.

The use of a bitransgenic mouse model for cancer is an effective approach for studying the impact of specific carcinogens and the occurrence of tissue-specific lesions. We studied the novel p53 heterozygous zeta globin-promoted Tg.AC (v-Ha-ras) mouse model because these mice contain a carcinogen-inducible ras oncogene and one functional p53 tumor suppressor allele, both of which occur frequently in human cancers.