Effect of cholera toxin on the induction of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive clones by benzo(a)pyrene in embryonic mouse tongue cells in culture.

The utility of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) as a histochemical marker to study the carcinogen-induced changes and its possible modulation by cholera toxin was explored in primary cell cultures. It was observed that cholera toxin not only promotes growth of fibroblasts in primary cell culture, but it also enhances the GGT-positive foci induced by benzo(a)pyrene. It is interesting to speculate that cholera toxin may be acting as a tumor promoter in primary cell cultures of embryonic mouse tongue.