ABSTRACT Approximately half of hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC) from regions in the world with high contamination
of food with the mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFBi) contain a
mutation in codon 249 of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. The
mutation almost exclusively consists of a G -+ T transversion
In the third position of this codon, resulting in the insertion of
serine at position 249 in the mutant protein. To gain isight into
the mechanism of formation of this stridng mutational hot spot
in hepatocarcinogenesis, we studied the mutagenesis of codons
247-250 of p53 by rat liver microsome-activated AFB1 in
human HCC cells HepG2 by restriction fragment length polymorphism/polymerase
chain reaction genotypic analysis.
AFB1 preferentially induced the transversion of G -. T in the
third position of codon 249. However, AFB1 also induced G -*
T and C -+ A transversions into adjacent codons, albeit at lower
hfequencies. Since the latter mutations are not observed in
HCC it follows that both mutablilty on the DNA level and
altered function of the mutant serine 249 p53 protein are
responsible for the observed mutational hot spot in p53 in HCC
from AFB1-contaminated areas. Our results are in ageement
with an etiological role of AFB1 in hepatocarcinogenesis in
regions of the world with AFBI-contan ated food.