Human colon cells: culture and in vitro transformation.

Normal human colon mucosal epithelial cells were cultured in vitro and treated with the oncogenic simian DNA virus (SV40) and the chemical carcinogen azoxymethane. Both SV40 and azoxymethane altered a number of phenotypic characteristics of the normal human colon cells, including their morphology, culture longevity, growth in soft agar, substrate adherence, and peanut agglutinin binding. The SV40 transformants synthesized intranuclear T antigen. These data indicate that normal human colon mucosal cells were transformed toward the malignant phenotype.