Somatic Cell Genetics最新文献

Mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells do not synthesize any detectable level of phenylalanine hydroxylase and thus do not grow in Tyr- medium. Rat hepatoma cells that constitutively express phenylalanine hydroxylase were treated prior to fusion with MEL cells with biochemical inhibitors to inactivate different macromolecular components of the cells, and the fusion products were selected in Tyr- medium. Continuously growing populations of cells resembling the parental MEL cells and expressing mouse phenylalanine hydroxylase were obtained only when rat hepatoma cells treated with mitomycin or iodoacetamide, which inactivate DNA and SH proteins, respectively, were fused with MEL cells. Fusion of MEL cells with UV-treated rat hepatoma cells did not result in the activation of the mouse phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. UV treatment damages both DNA and RNA. These data suggested that RNA was involved in the regulation of phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. Additional evidence for the role of RNA in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene regulation was obtained from RNA transfection studies. RNA only from cells which express phenylalanine hydroxylase, such as rat hepatoma cells and MEL cybrids, when introduced into MEL cells by the CaPO4 coprecipitation method, resulted in the permanent activation of the mouse phenylalanine hydroxylase gene.

We have used antibody-mediated complement killing to isolate membrane IgM-negative (mIgM-) variants from the mIgM+ murine B cell lymphoma, WEHI 279.1. This procedure has been used previously to select variants which lack expression of other cell-surface antigens on lymphoid cells. In those experiments, multiple rounds of selection have often been required for selection of the negative variants. We found that many cycles of selection produced very few variants and that those isolated had reduced, but still measurable, levels of mIgM. We were able to select large numbers of stable mIgM- variants by subjecting the populations with reduced levels of mIgM to two rounds of immunoselection within one cell cycle. These variants are stable and exhibit a variety of defects which are all expressed as a failure to display IgM on their external surface. Analysis of these variant clones at the biochemical level will begin to define the requirements for proper display of mIgM on the cell membrane of B lymphoma cells.

The stability of the expression of six differentiated functions was examined during long-term cultivation of rat hepatoma cells. Faza 967 cell line--a clonal descendant of the Reuber H35 hepatoma--is characterized by the activity of tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) and gluconeogenetic enzymes; secretion of serum albumin; and the presence of liver isozymes of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-L), aldolase (aldolase-B) and five isozymes of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). During the 3-year-long cultivation of Faza 967 cells TAT specific activity, inducibility, and albumin production were reduced drastically whereas the expression of the three liver-specific isozymes examined was maintained. The majority of Faza 967 cells were able to perform gluconeogenesis after 3 years of continuous cultivation. Our results show that long-term cultivation of hepatoma cells may change the expression of certain liver-specific functions independently of the expression of other differentiated functions.

Four variants of the cultured human cell line VA2 have been isolated which are resistant to the antiproliferative and antimitochondrial effects of methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG). Each of the four variants is two- to fivefold more sensitive to the mitochondrial protein synthesis inhibitor chloramphenicol (CAP) than wild type when grown in the absence of MGBG, and five- to tenfold more sensitive to CAP when grown in the presence of MGBG. Uptake studies demonstrate that each MGBG-resistant variant cell line is freely permeable to CAP. The in vivo rates of mitochondrial protein synthesis are significantly reduced in each of the variants whether pregrown and labeled in the presence or absence of MGBG. When cytoplasts from a cytoplasmically inherited CAP-resistant mutant are fused to an MGBG-resistant recipient cell line, cybrid clones can be isolated which are functionally resistant to low levels of CAP. With continued growth, the levels of resistance to CAP do not, however, approach the levels of resistance of the CAP-resistant donor cell line. When CAP resistance is subsequently transferred from a CAP/MGBG-resistant cybrid by enucleation and fusion to other human cell lines, then CAP-resistant cybrids can be readily selected in high levels of CAP. It is possible that the substantial decrease in mitochondrial protein synthesis observed in the variants fully accounts for their increased sensitivity to CAP, although the basis for this decreased rate of mitochondrial protein synthesis is not understood.

A biochemical selection system was used to isolate hybrids after fusion of human diploid fibroblast clones of varying proliferative potential. The distribution of proliferative potentials of the hybrids resembled that of the parent with smaller proliferative potential. Therefore, the phenotype of limited division was dominant in hybrids. This dominance was associated with cells that could achieve seven or less divisions present in the parent populations. Terminally nondividing cells present in clones near the end of their proliferative potential differed from those present in clones that had ceased division (senescent), in that a higher percentage could be induced to divide at least once following fusion with a cell capable of division.

A rapid method has been developed that permits demonstration of complementation between different cell strains from ultraviolet-sensitive xeroderma pigmentosum patients. Combining polyethylene glycol-mediated cell fusion with low doses of ultraviolet light to eliminate unfused sensitive cells, the method permits assignment of cell strains to complementation groups by visual inspection, avoiding use of laborious methods involving autoradiography. This method can be augmented by measuring DNA repair synthesis, which shows large quantitative differences between fusions that result in complementation and those that do not.

Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrids between diploid anchorage-independent CHEF/204Bu50 cells and diploid anchorage dependent CHEF/205-30 cells are anchorage dependent but can segregate subclones at low frequency which reexpress anchorage independence. Thus, anchorage independence, like other characteristics of the transformed phenotype, is suppressed in these hybrids. Anchorage-independent subclones were recovered from the anchorage-dependent hybrids under conditions which favored the retention of most chromosomes. Karyotype analysis of suppressed hybrids and their anchorage-independent subclones showed that segregation of anchorage dependence was correlated with the loss of one copy of chromosome 1 in CHEF Chinese hamster hybrids. Thus, suppression of anchorage independence has a chromosomal basis. Several genetic models are considered for the origin of anchorage-independent subclones from suppressed Chinese hamster hybrids.

The influence of different genetic environments on the expression of HLA complex-controlled antigens has been investigated using cell lines with various defects in the synthesis of these molecules and a somatic cell hybrid derived from them. A very sensitive bacterial binding assay allowing simultaneous evaluation of the morphology of a given cell and the quantity of a surface molecule has been developed for these studies. The fetal erythroid cell line K562, the Burkitt's lymphoma-derived cell line DAUDI, and their hybrid DUTKO1 have been employed. K562 and the hybrid, but not DAUDI, expressed HLA-A,B,C heavy chains as detected by the monoclonal antibody W6/32.HL, while two monoclonal antibodies (TU48 and 2BC4) against the supertypic specificities HLA-Bw4 and Bw6 showed no reactivity. The presence of human Ia-like antigens on the cell surfaces was investigated with a panel of eight monoclonal antibodies. K562 cells were completely unreactive, and DAUDI cells gave the expected positive reaction, but about 1% or less of the cells in the DUTKO1 population appeared to express these antigens as well. We discuss possible reasons for the failure to detect HLA-B antigens with monoclonal antibodies and the lack of complete "dominance" of the K562 genome in the hybrid cell line.

We have mapped the gene which codes the species-specific determinant defined by monoclonal antibody 4F2 to human chromosome 11. All human chromosomes, except Y, were included in a group of four human-mouse hybrid lines. Hybrids heterogeneous for 4F2 antigen expression were sorted using the fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) to yield populations homogeneous with respect to the presence or absence of this determinant. Isozyme analysis indicated corresponding genetic selection for or against human chromosome 11. This map assignment was confirmed using a hybrid line which contained only human chromosome 11. Immunoprecipitation of the 4F2 determinant from the 11 only hybrid resulted in a heavy subunit of molecular weight (Mr) = 100,000 and a light subunit of Mr = 41,000. This contrasts with results obtained from nonhybrid human cells of different lineages. These results demonstrate the importance of FACS techniques in the rapid mapping of genes which code human cell surface antigens.

This paper describes genetic mapping studies with several respiration-deficient mutants of Chinese hamster fibroblasts which have a defect in complex I of the electron transport chain (NADH-coenzyme Q reductase). The mutations associated with two different complementation groups map on the X chromosome. In two cases (G14 and G20) karyotypic and isozyme analyses in hybrids have shown that a gene(s) on the mouse X chromosome complements the mutation(s) in the hamster cell mutant(s). A cosegregation analysis in hybrid cells has shown the corresponding genes to be linked to the HPRT genes (hamster-mouse hybrids of G14, and hamster-hamster hybrids for G14 and G20). By the same method the defective gene in a third mutant (G4) was also shown to be X-linked. A mutation representing a third complementation group (G11) was shown to be on an autosomal gene. These results provide an explanation for our observation that cells with recessive mutations in complementation groups I and II can be selected at relatively high frequencies.