A multiplex PCR procedure for analysis of genomic DNA mutations in the mouse hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene was developed and then used with other established methods for the coincident identification of large- and small-scale genetic alterations in the Hprt gene of mutant T-cell isolates propagated from sham- and 1,3-butadiene (BD)-exposed mice and rats. The spectra data for RT-PCR/cDNA analysis and multiplex PCR of genomic DNA from Hprt mutants were combined, and statistical analyses of the mutant fractions for the classes of mutations identified in control versus exposed animals were conducted. Under the assumption that the mutant fractions are distributed as Poisson variates, BD exposure of mice significantly increased the frequencies of (1) nearly all types of base substitutions; (2) single-base deletions and insertions; and (3) all subcategories of deletions. Significantly elevated fractions of G:C-->C:G and A:T-->T:A transversions in the Hprt gene of BD-exposed mice were consistent with the occurrence of these substitutions as the predominant ras gene mutations in multiple tumor types increased in incidence in carcinogenicity studies of BD in mice. BD exposure of rats produced significant increases in (1) base substitutions only at A:T base pairs; (2) single-base insertions; (3) complex mutations; and (4) deletions (mainly 5' partial and complete gene deletions). Future coincident analyses of large- and small-scale mutations in rodents exposed to specific BD metabolites should help identify species differences in the sources of deletion mutations and other types of mutations induced by BD exposures in mice versus rats.

Combinations of antiretroviral drugs that include nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are superior to single‐agent regimens in treating or preventing HIV infection, but the potential long‐term health hazards of these treatments in humans are uncertain. In earlier studies, our group found that coexposure of TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells to 3′‐azido‐2′,3′‐dideoxythymidine (AZT) and 2′,3′‐dideoxyinosine (ddI), the first two NRTIs approved by the FDA as antiretroviral drugs, produced multiplicative synergistic enhancement of DNA incorporation of AZT and mutagenic responses in both the HPRT and TK reporter genes, as compared with single‐drug exposures (Meng Q et al. [2000a]: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:12667–12671). The purpose of the current study was to characterize the mutational specificity of equimolar mixtures of 100 μM or 300 μM AZT + ddI at the HPRT and TK loci of exposed cells vs. unexposed control cells, and to compare the resulting mutational spectra data to those previously found in cells exposed to AZT alone (Sussman H et al. [1999]: Mutat Res 429:249–259; Meng Q et al. [2000b]: Toxicol Sci 54:322–329). Molecular analyses of HPRT mutant clones were performed by reverse transcription–mediated production of cDNA, PCR amplification, and cDNA sequencing to define small DNA alterations, followed by multiplex PCR amplification of genomic DNA to define the fractions of deletion events. TK mutants with complete gene deletions were distinguished by Southern blot analysis. The observed HPRT mutational categories included point mutations, microinsertions/microdeletions, splicing‐error mutations, and macrodeletions including partial and complete gene deletions. The only significant difference or shift in the mutational spectra for NRTI‐treated cells vs. control cells was the increase in the frequency of complete TK gene deletions following exposures (for 3 days) to 300 μM AZT–ddI (P = 0.034, chi‐square test of homogeneity); however, statistical analyses comparing the observed mutant fraction values (measured mutant frequency × percent of a class of mutation) between control and NRTI‐treated cells for each class of mutation showed that the occurrences of complete gene deletions of both HPRT and TK were significantly elevated over background values (0.34 × 10−6 in HPRT and 6.0 × 10−6 in TK) at exposure levels of 100 μM AZT–ddI (i.e., 1.94 × 10−6 in HPRT and 18.6 × 10−6 in TK) and 300 μM AZT–ddI (i.e., 5.6 × 10−6 in HPRT and 34.6 × 10−6 in TK) (P < 0.05, Mann–Whitney U‐statistic). These treatment‐related increases in complete gene deletions were consistent with the spectra data for AZT alone (ibid.) and with the known mode of action of AZT and ddI as DNA chain terminators. In addition, cotreatments of ddI with AZT led to substantial absolute increases in the mutant fraction of other classes of mutations, unlike cells exposed solely to AZT [e.g., the frequency of point mutations among HPRT mutants was significantly increased by 130 and 323% over the background value (4.25 × 10−6) in cells exposed to 100 and 300 μM AZT–ddI, respectively]. These results indicate that, at the same time that AZT–ddI potentiates therapeutic or prophylactic efficacy, the use of a second NRTI with AZT may confer a greater cancer risk, characterized by a spectrum of mutations that deviates from that produced solely by AZT. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 39:282–295, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that repeated low level exposures to 1,3-butadiene (BD), approaching the OSHA occupational threshold for this chemical, produce a significant mutagenic response in mice. Female B6C3F1 mice (4–5 weeks of age) were exposed by inhalation for 2 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week) to 0 or 3 ppm BD, and then necropsied at 4 weeks after the cessation of exposures to measure the frequency of mutations (MF) at the Hprt locus using the T-lymphocyte clonal assay. At necropsy, T cells were isolated from spleen and cultured in the presence of mitogen, growth factors, and a selection agent. Cells were scored for growth on days 8–9 after plating to determine cloning efficiencies (CEs) and Hprt MFs. There was a marginal but significant reduction in the growth of splenic T cells from mice exposed to 3 ppm (n=27) compared with control mice (n=24) (P=0.004), suggesting the occurrence of BD-induced cytotoxicity at this low exposure concentration. In addition, the average Hprt MF in mice exposed to 3 ppm BD [1.54±0.82 (S.D.)×10−6] was significantly increased by 1.6-fold over the average control value of 0.96±0.51 (S.D.)×10−6 (P=0.004). Comparisons of these data to earlier Hprt mutagenicity studies of mice exposed to high concentrations of BD (where significant mutagenic but not cytotoxic effects were observed) indicate that the ability to detect the cytotoxic and mutagenic responses of T cells to low levels of BD was enhanced by using a much larger sample size than usual for both the control and treatment groups. Additional analyses of the quantitative relationships between CE and MF demonstrated that CE had no significant effect upon MF values in sham-exposed control mice or mice exposed to low-level BD. Furthermore, the approaches for assessing the impact of CE and clonality on Hprt MFs in these control and BD-exposed mice were applied with the same rigor as in in vivo Hprt mutagenicity studies in human children. The overall study results support the conclusion that short-term low-level BD exposure is mutagenic in the mouse.

3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT), a thymidine analogue widely used in the treatment of AIDS patients and for prevention of the onset of AIDS in HIV-seropositive individuals, causes tumors in mice exposed as adults or in utero. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mechanisms of AZT mutagenicity and carcinogenicity by quantifying the incorporation of AZT into cellular DNA, measuring AZT-induced thymidine kinase (TK) mutant frequencies (Mfs), and determining the percentage of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in spontaneous or AZT-induced TK mutants in the human lymphoblastoid cell line, TK6. Cells were exposed to 300 microM AZT for 0, 1, 3, or 6 days, or to 0, 33, 100, 300, or 900 microM AZT for 3 days (n = 5 flasks/group). The effects of exposure concentration on incorporation of AZT into cellular DNA were evaluated by an AZT radioimmunoassay, and the effects of duration and concentration of AZT exposure on the TK Mfs were assessed by a cell-cloning assay. AZT was incorporated into DNA in a dose-related manner at concentrations up to 300 microM, above which no further increase was observed. TK Mf increased with the extended duration and with incremental concentrations of AZT exposure. There was a positive correlation (P = 0.036, coefficient = 0.903) between AZT-DNA incorporation and AZT-induced TK Mfs, suggesting that AZT incorporation into cellular DNA has a direct role in the genotoxicity of AZT. Southern blot analyses indicated that 84% (6.2 x 10(-6)/7.4 x 10(-6)) of AZT-induced mutants were attributable to LOH, consistent with the known mechanism of AZT as a DNA chain terminator. Considering the importance of LOH in human carcinogenesis, AZT-induced LOH warrants further study.

Drug combinations that include nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are remarkably effective in preventing maternal-viral transmission of HIV during pregnancy. However, there may be potential long-term risks for children exposed in utero. Examination of the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of two NRTIs, zidovudine [AZT (3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine)] and didanosine [ddI (2',3'-dideoxyinosine)], in cultured human lymphoblastoid cells revealed multiplicative synergistic enhancement of AZT-DNA incorporation and mutant frequency induction in response to the combined drug exposure, as compared with single-drug exposures. Dose-related increases in DNA incorporation of AZT (as measured by a competitive RIA) and mutagenicity at the HPRT and TK loci (as assessed by cell-cloning assays) were observed in cells exposed in culture to AZT, or equimolar combinations of AZT + ddI, at exposure concentrations ranging from 3 to 30 times the maximum plasma levels found in humans. Because mutagenesis is strongly associated with tumor induction in experimental models, children exposed transplacentally to combinations of NRTIs may be at risk for cancer development later in life.

Previous experiments in our research group showed that 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) caused increased mutant frequencies (Mfs) at the X-linked hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and the autosomal thymidine kinase (TK) genes in human lymphoblastoid cells and that there was a significant positive correlation between AZT incorporation into cellular DNA and AZT-induced TK Mfs. In the current study, the mutagenicity of AZT was further evaluated at the autosomal adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene. AZH1 cells, a human lymphoblastoid cell line heterozygous at the APRT locus, were exposed to 300 microM AZT for 0, 1, 3 or 6 days or to 0, 33, 100, 300 or 900 microM AZT for 3 days (n = 5 flasks/group). A cell cloning assay was used to quantitate APRT Mfs. AZT-induced APRT Mf increased with extended duration and with incremental concentrations of AZT exposure. There was a positive correlation (P = 0.022, coefficient = 0.93) between AZT incorporation into DNA and AZT-induced APRT Mfs. RFLP analyses indicated that AZT exclusively induced loss of heterozygosity in APRT mutants. These results, which are consistent with findings on the mutagenicity of AZT at the HPRT and TK genes, indicate the need for further investigations on the potential long-term side effects of AZT on humans, especially those who receive AZT for a prophylactic reason.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), an important chemical used mainly in the production of synthetic rubber, is a potent carcinogen in mice, a weak carcinogen in rats, and a suspected carcinogen in humans. To provide a better understanding of the mutagenic mechanisms involved in interspecies differences in BD-induced carcinogenesis, studies were conducted in rodents to test two hypotheses: (a) the mutagenic potency of BD at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus of T lymphocytes (T cells) can be used to quantify interspecies differences in BD-induced carcinogenicity in exposed rodents and (b) comparison of the mutagenic potency and specificity of BD and racemic mixtures of two epoxy metabolites, 1,2-epoxy-3-butene (BDO) and 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (BDO2), at the hprt locus of T cells can be used to define the relative contribution of each intermediate to observed BD mutagenicity in each species. The first hypothesis was investigated by determining the effects of exposure duration and elapsed time after exposures on hprt mutant frequencies (MFs) in T cells from thymus and spleen of female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4 to 5 weeks old). In this study, rodents were exposed by inhalation to 0 or 1,250 parts per million (ppm) BD for up to 2 weeks, or to 0 or 625 ppm BD for up to 4 weeks (with all exposures 6 hours/day, 5 days/week). The second hypothesis was examined by defining the effects of exposure concentration and elapsed time after exposures on the hprt MFs in splenic T cells from mice and rats exposed by inhalation to BD (0, 20, 62.5, or 625 ppm), BDO (0, 2.5, or 25 ppm), or BDO2 (0, 2, or 4 ppm) for 4 weeks (all exposures 6 hours/day, 5 days/week). The hprt MFs were measured weekly or biweekly using the T cell cloning assay for up to 10 weeks after the last exposure. The mutagenic potency of BD (represented by the difference in the areas under the mutant T cell "manifestation" curves [or the "change in MFs over time"] of exposed versus control animals) was significantly greater in mice (4.4-fold) than in rats following 2 weeks of exposure to 1,250 ppm BD. Mutagenic potency in mice was 8.5-fold greater than that in rats following 4 weeks of exposure to 625 ppm BD. These hprt MF data provide the first evidence that BD is mutagenic in the rat, albeit the mutagenic response was significantly less than that observed in similarly exposed mice. In addition, the MF data from the two exposure-duration studies indicate that both exposure concentration and exposure duration are important in determining the magnitude of the mutagenic response to BD. The relative contribution of BDO versus BDO2 to overall BD mutagenicity was evaluated by exposing mice and rats to carefully chosen concentrations of BD and racemic mixtures of BDO and BDO2 (that is, 62.5, 2.5, and 4.0 ppm, respectively) and comparing the mutagenic potency of each compound when comparable blood levels of metabolites were achieved. The resulting MF data indicate that (+/-)-BDO2 is a major contributor to the mutagenicity of BD in mice at lower BD exposure levels (< or = 62.5 ppm), whereas other metabolites and stereochemical configurations are responsible for mutations in BD-exposed rats and for the incremental mutagenic effects at higher exposure levels in mice. Molecular analysis of hprt cDNA from expanded T cell clones from control and BD-exposed mice demonstrated an increased frequency of large deletions in exposed animals (p = 0.016), presumably associated with in situ formation of (+/-)-BDO2, meso-BDO2, or both. Results of these mutagenicity experiments, along with data from collaborative studies of DNA adducts from the same animals, should provide a better understanding of the interspecies variation in carcinogenic response to BD and improve the extrapolation of rodent data to the estimation of cancer risk in exposed persons.

Experiments were conducted to define the spectra of mutations occurring in Hprt exon 3 of T-cells isolated from spleens of female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats exposed by inhalation to 1,3-butadiene (BD) or its reactive metabolite, (+/-)-diepoxybutane (DEB). Hprt mutant frequencies (Mfs) in BD-exposed (1250 ppm for 2 weeks or 625 ppm for 4 weeks; 6 h/day, 5 days/week) and DEB-exposed (2 or 4 ppm for 4 weeks or 5 ppm for 6 weeks; 6 h/day, 5 days/week) mice and rats were significantly increased over concurrent control values. Mutant T-cell colonies from control and treated animals were screened for mutations in Hprt exon 3 using PCR amplification of genomic DNA and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, followed by sequence analysis. Exon 3 mutations were found at the following frequencies: 20/394 (5%) in control mice, 56/712 (8%) in BD-exposed mice, 59/1178 (5%) in BD-exposed rats, 66/642 (10%) in DEB-exposed mice, and 51/732 (7%) in DEB-exposed rats. Mutations in exposed animals included base substitutions, small deletions (1 to 74 bp), and small insertions (1 to 8 bp), with base substitutions predominating. Among the types of base substitutions observed in mice, the proportions of G.C-->A.T transitions (p=0.035, Fisher's Exact Test) and G.C-->C.G transversions (p=0.05) were significantly different in control vs. BD-exposed animals. Given the small number of exon 3 mutants analyzed, there was a high degree of overlap in the mutational spectra between BD-exposed mice and rats, between BD- and DEB-exposed mice, and between BD- and DEB-exposed rats in terms of the sites with base substitutions, the mutations found at those mutated sites, the relative occurrence of the most frequently observed base substitutions, and the occurrence of a consistent strand bias for the most frequently observed base substitutions. The spectra data suggest that adduction of both G.C and A.T bps is important in the induction of in vivo mutations by BD metabolites in exposed mice and rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine if Hprt mutant frequency (Mf) data from rodents exposed directly to individual epoxy metabolites of 1,3-butadiene (BD) can be used to identify the relative significance of each intermediate in the mutagenicity of BD in mice vs. rats. To this end, the relative contributions of the racemic mixtures of BD monoepoxide (BDO) and BD diepoxide (BDO2) to BD-induced mutagenicity was investigated by exposing mice and rats to selected concentrations of BDO and BDO2 (i.e., 2.5 and 4.0 ppm, respectively) and comparing the mutagenic potency of each intermediate to that of BD (at 62.5 ppm) when comparable blood levels of metabolites are achieved (in the mouse). Female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4–5 weeks old) were exposed to rac-BDO (0, 2.5, or 25 ppm) or (±)-BDO2 (0, 2, 4 ppm) by inhalation for 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week), and then groups of control and exposed animals (n=3–12/group) were necropsied at multiple time points post-exposure for measuring Hprt Mfs in splenic lymphocytes (via the T-cell cloning assay) and estimating mutagenic potencies (represented by the difference in the areas under the mutant T-cell `manifestation' curves of treated vs. control animals). The resulting Mf data, along with the extant metabolism data, suggest that at lower BD exposures (≤62.5 ppm) (±)-BDO2 is a major contributor to the mutagenicity of BD in mice, whereas other metabolites and stereochemical configurations are responsible for mutations in BD-exposed rats and for the incremental mutagenic effects at higher BD exposures in mice. These studies indicate that additional work is needed to determine more definitively the relative contributions of these and other metabolites and stereochemical forms to BD-induced mutagenicity. Also, the novel approach of measuring mutagenic potencies as the change in Hprt Mfs over time in T-cells of exposed vs. control animals, as used in this study, can be valuable for predicting the potential role of these intermediates in each species.

Liquid chromatography (LC) in combination with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and stable isotope methodology was employed for the analysis of the N7-guanine (Gua) adducts derived from 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane (BDO2) a reactive metabolite of 1,3-butadiene (BD). Two diastereomeric forms of N7-(2,3,4-trihydroxybutyl)guanine (THBG) were identified in the livers of both mice and rats. One of the diastereomers [(+/-)-THBG] was formed by reaction of DNA with (+/-)-BDO2, and the other diastereomer (meso-THBG) was formed by reaction of DNA with meso-BDO2. There was significantly more (+/-)-THBG and meso-THBG in the liver DNA of the mice when compared with those of the rats during the 10 days of exposure to ED and the 6 days of postexposure that were monitored. There was a 2-fold excess of(+/-)-THBG over meso-THBG in the rat liver at all the time points. In the mouse liver after 10 days of exposure to ED, the (+/-)-THBG (3.9 adducts/10(6) normal bases) was also present in an almost 2-fold excess over meso-THBG (2.2 adducts/10(6) normal bases). However, B-days after exposure to ED, (+/-)THBG; (1.2 adducts/10(6) normal bases) and meso-THBG (1.0 adduct/10(6) normal bases) were present in almost equal amounts in the mouse liver. Furthermore, there was an almost Ei-fold excess of the two THBG diastereomers in the mouse liver DNA 6 days after exposure to ED when compared with rat liver DNA. The half-lives of(+/-)-THBG and meso-THBG appeared to be slightly longer in mouse liver (4.1 and 5.5 days, respectively) than in rat liver (3.6 and 4.0 days, respectively). The apparent persistence of these adducts in the mouse may contribute to the increased susceptibility of this species to ED-induced carcinogenesis. It is possible that (+/-)-THBG and meso-THBG could have also been derived from the reaction of DNA with the hydrolysis product of BDO2, 1,2-dihydroxy-3,4-epoxybutane (DHEB). Surprisingly, a vast majority of the studies in which the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of BDO2 have been examined have only employed the commercially available (+/-)-BDO2. In light of the present findings, additional studies will be required to determine the potency of meso-BDO2 and the DHEB that is the precursor to meso-THBG as mutagens and carcinogens.

The species specific response to 1,3-butadiene (BD), an important industrial chemical, was investigated by determining the influence of exposure duration and exposure concentration on the mutagenicity of BD in mice and rats and by defining the spectra of mutations in the Hprt gene T-cell mutants from control and BD-exposed mice. Female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4-5 weeks old) were exposed by inhalation to 0, 20, 62.5, or 625 ppm of BD for up to 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week). Groups of control and exposed animals (n=4-12/group) were necropsied at multiple time points after exposure and the T-cell cloning assay was used to measure Hprt mutant frequencies in lymphocytes isolated from spleen. Mutant clones collected from control and BD-exposed mice were propagated and analyzed by RT-PCR to produce Hprt cDNA for sequencing. In animals necropsied 4 weeks after 2 or 4 weeks of BD exposure (0 or 625 ppm), the rate of accumulation of mutations was greater in mice than in rats. Supra-linear dose-response curves were observed in BD-exposed mice, indicating a higher efficiency of mutant induction at lower concentrations of BD. The mutagenic potency estimates (represented by the differences in the areas under the mutant T-cell 'manifestation' curves of treated vs. control animals) in mice were 11 and 61 following 4 weeks of exposures to 62.5 and 625 ppm of BD, respectively, while mutant frequencies (Mfs) in rats were significantly increased only at 625 ppm BD (mutagenic potency of 7). Molecular analysis of Hprt cDNA from expanded T-cell clones from control and BD-exposed mice demonstrated an increased frequency of mutants in exposed animals that likely contain large deletions in the Hprt gene (P=0.016). These data indicate that both exposure duration and exposure concentration are important in determining the magnitude of mutagenic response to BD, and that mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of BD in mice may be related more to the ability of its metabolites to cause chromosomal deletions than to produce point mutations.

1,3-Butadiene (BD) is an indirect alkylating agent that has greater cancer potency in the mouse than in the rat. The purpose of the present study was to compare the mutagenic potency of BD at the hprt locus of T-lymphocytes of exposed mice and rats and to determine whether mutations induced in this marker gene can be used as a quantitative indicator for species differences in susceptibility to cancer. To this end, experiments were conducted to define the effects of exposure duration and the time elapsed after exposures on the frequency of hprt mutations (Mf) in T-cells from female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats of similar age (4-5 weeks) when exposed to BD by inhalation. The accumulation of hprt mutations in T-cells from thymus was assessed in animals necropsied 2 weeks after exposure to 0 or 1250 ppm BD for 1 or 2 weeks, while the time course for the appearance of hprt mutant T-cells (i.e., the phenotypic expression and cell migration) in thymus and spleen was evaluated in animals necropsied at weekly/biweekly intervals up to 10 weeks after exposure for 2 weeks. At necropsy, T-cells were isolated from thymus and spleen and cultured in the presence of IL-2, concanavalin A, and 6-thioguanine (Walker and Skopek, Mutat. Res., 288, 151-162, 1993). BD exposures of 1 and 2 weeks led to mutagenic effects in mouse thymus, with the average Mfs being 3- and 5-fold greater than background values, respectively. In rat thymus, there was only a 1.7-fold increase in Mfs after 2 weeks of BD exposure. In the mutant expression experiment, hprt Mfs in thymus and spleen of both species increased for several weeks post-exposure and then declined. Hprt Mfs in thymus reached maximum levels at 2 weeks post-exposure in mice (Mfs = 11.3 +/- 2.4 x 10(-6)) and at 3 weeks post-exposure in rats (4.9 +/- 1.2 x 10(-6)), while hprt Mfs in spleen reached peak levels at 5 weeks post-exposure in mice (19.7 +/- 1.9 x 10(-6)) and 4 weeks post-exposure in rats (10.1 +/- 1.8 x 10(-6)). Background Mfs for mouse and rat thymus and spleen ranged from 1.6 +/- 0.3 x 10(-6) to 3.0 +/- 1.1 x 10(-6). Statistical analyses of the hprt Mf data for spleen demonstrated that, under these exposure conditions, the mutagenic potency of BD (represented by the difference in the areas under the phenotypic expression curves of treated versus control animals) was 5-fold greater in mice than in rats. The magnitude of the species differences in mutagenic potency, observed after 2 weeks of BD exposure, resembles the species differences in metabolism more closely than the species differences in cancer potency.

The optimization of the mouse lymphocyte Hprt mutation assay has been impeded by the relatively poor growth potential of mouse T-cells in vitro, which leads to low cloning efficiencies (CEs) and limited expansion of Hprt mutant clones for molecular analysis of mutations occurring in control and treated mice. In this study, the addition and manipulation of concanavalin A (Con A), mouse interleukin-2 (IL-2), and a commercially available culture supplement, rat T-STIM with Con A, were used to identify growth conditions producing relatively high CEs for mouse T-cells. Supplementation of medium with 10% rat T-STIM, along with appropriate amounts of Con A for priming and exogenous IL-2 for cloning, resulted in average CEs of 15-16% in lymphocytes isolated from spleens of control mice (n = 32) or mice exposed to 1,3-butadiene (n = 27). In addition, several reagents were assessed for their potential to stimulate long-term growth of Hprt mutant clones; these T-cell stimulatory agents included Con A, phytohemagglutinin, and a calcium ionophore ionomycin combined with a tumor promoter phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. In a pilot study, stimulation with Con A proved to be the most effective means for propagating mouse T-cell clones under the various conditions tested. In follow-up experiments, transfer of mutant clones to 24-well plates and repeated stimulation with Con A in IL-2 and rat T-STIM supplemented medium was found to expand 76% of 536 mutant clones to about 400,000 to several million cells per clone. These data indicate that rat T-STIM-supplemented medium enhances the initial outgrowth of mouse T-cells, and that repeated mitogenic stimulation with Con A in the presence of IL-2 and rat T-STIM provides a means for propagating mouse T-cell clones for mutation analyses by a variety of methods.