Initiating activity of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane in two-stage BALB/c 3T3 cell transformation.

By using in vitro two-stage BALB/c 3T3 cell transformation assay, we have tested the effect of promoting treatment with tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) on transformation induced by 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (1,1,2,2-TTCE). Cells were treated with subeffective or transforming concentrations of 1,1,2,2-TTCE in the presence of an S9-mix activating system, followed by TPA promoting treatment. The transforming activity of 1,1,2,2-TTCE is evident only by reseeding confluent cells and allowing additional rounds of cell replications in the amplification test. Treatment with TPA leads to a marked transformation yield in all plates scored even at the lowest assayed dosage of 1,1,2,2-TTCE, without performing amplification of transformation.