Terminal differentiation and apoptosis in experimental lung metastases of human osteogenic sarcoma cells by wild type p53. Human SAOS-2 osteogenic sarcoma cells are not metastatic in nude mice and do not express p53. We have selected a variant line (SAOS-LM2) that is tumorigenic and metastatic in nude mice. These cells were transfected with the p53 wild-type (p53wt) or mutated (p53mut 143A) gene, whose expression was verified by reverse transcriptase PCR, cDNA sequencing, and protein immunoprecipitation. Cells were injected i.v. into nude mice, and 4 months later, the mice were necropsied. All cell lines produced a similar number of visible lung metastases, albeit of different sizes. Microscopic examination revealed that most lung metastases in mice injected with p53wt cells (but not p53mut 143A or control cells) consisted of osteoid matrix and apoptotic cells. Expression of either p53wt or p53mut 143A verified the origin of the metastases. These data suggest that transfection of SAOS-LM2 cells with p53wt is associated with in vivo induction of terminal differentiation and apoptosis that inhibit progressive growth of metastases.