TLR4 and neoplasm: Our previous transcriptomics study of TLR4-dependent effects in the mouse lung identified connexin 43 (Cx43), the major lung gap junction protein, as a gene potentially altered during early tumorigenesis [7].While both the BHT promotion model and the SL/DT assay have been used independently to evaluate carcinogenic or toxic potential in vivo and in vitro, the coordinated use of these two tests as an ex vivo method to mechanistically examine the effects of tumor promoters is a novel adaptation with potential for both translational studies and clinical applications.