O 6 -METHYLGUANINE-DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE AND HUMAN CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY

Two kinds of human tumor cell strains having different activity of O~6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (O~6-MT) were transplanted into nude mice. Then the mice were inject-ed intraperitoneally with bifunctional alkylating agent 1--(4--amino--2-methyl--5--pyrimidinyl)methy1-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU). The tumors with low O~6-MTactivity were quickly suppressed or cured. The result suggests that some tumors, if previ-sionally determined with low O~6-MT activity, might be efficiently cured by treatment withACNU. This probably opens a new way for human cancer chemotherapy.