Modulation of the activity of an avian gene transferred into a mammalian cell by cell fusion

Induction of muscle genes in neural cells

The regulation of skeletal muscle genes was examined in heterokaryons formed by fusing differentiated chick skeletal myocytes to four different rat neural cell lines. Highly enriched populations of heterokaryons isolated using irreversible biochemical inhibitors were labeled with [35S]methionine and analyzed on two-dimensional gels. Rat skeletal myosin light chains were induced in three of the four cell combinations. The one exception, the S-20 cholinergic cell line, not only failed to synthesize rat muscle proteins but also suppressed chick myogenic functions. Experiments with heterokaryons between chick myocytes and cells from whole embryonic rat brain cultures demonstrated that rat skeletal myosin light chains are inducible in normal diploid neural cells as well as in established neural cell lines. In contrast, dividing cell hybrids between rat myoblasts and rat glial cells were nonmyogenic. These results demonstrate that although neural cells may contain factors that prevent the decision to differentiate along myogenic lines in cell hybrids, most neural cell lines do not dominantly suppress the expression of muscle structural genes in heterokaryons. Furthermore, the skeletal myosin light chain genes in most neural cell lines are regulated by a mechanism that permits them to respond to putative chick skeletal myocyte-inducing factors. The "open" state of these myogenic genes may explain many of the reports of apparent "transdifferentiation" to muscle in neural cultures and neural tumors.

Genetic analysis by chromosome-mediated gene transfer

A general method is presented for stable transfer of genetic information to eukaryotic cells, utilizing metaphase chromosomes as the vehicle. Recent progress, current problems and large areas of uncertainty in this field are reviewed; particular consideration is given to frequency of transfer, size of the transgenome, evidence of cotransfer of linked genes and serial chromosome transfer. A reasonable model for chromosome transfer is considered with respect to the available information, and various descrepancies are noted. The utility of this method for fine structural mapping, cloning small regions of the eukaryotic genome and other potential applications are discussed.

Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase immunoprecipitation reactions in human-mouse and human-hamster cell hybrids

Male New Zealand White rabbits were immunized with human adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT), which were purified about 2000-fold and 800-fold, respectively, from erythrocytes by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, ammonium sulfate precipitation and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Specific immunoprecipitations of APRT and HGPRT were achieved with the antisera that were obtained and by using polyethylene glycol as a substitute for goat anti-(rabbit) gamma globulin. The activities of the human forms of these enzymes, whether from red blood cells or from cultured cells, were almost completely eliminated under the conditions of immunoprecipitation used. Little or no reduction of APRT and HGPRT activities from mouse and Chinese hamster cells was observed. This discriminatory capacity of the antisera was successfully used for the identification of human APRT and HGPRT in human-mouse and human-hamster cell hybrids using the immunoprecipitation reaction.

Transfer of the human gene for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase via isolated human metaphase chromosomes into mouse L-cells

We have transferred the human gene for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT, EC 2.4.2.8; IMP:pyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferease) via isolated metaphase chromosomes from human HeLa S3 cells into murine A9 cells which lack functional murine HPRT activity, using the technique of McBride and Ozer (Proc, Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 70, 1258-1262, 1973). Three transformed clones were isolated which contained human HPRT activity as determined by electrophoretic and immunochemical assays. Twenty human isozymes other than HPRT whose genes have been assigned to 14 human chromosomes were found to be absent in our transformed clones. Moreover, the human isozymes of hlucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49; D-glucose 6-phosphate:NADP 1-oxidoreductase) and phosphoglycerate kinase (EC 2.7.2.3;ATP:3-phospho-D-glycerate 1-phosphotransferase), whose genes have been linked with the HPRT gene to the long are of the human X chromosome, were also absent. On the basis of the known linkage relationships of the three markers, we thereby suggest that the transferred piece of human genetic material is smaller than 20% of the human X chromosome or less than 1% of the human genome. This estimate assumes a normal syntenic relationship for the long arm of the X chromosome in HeLa S3 cells. In agreement with this conclusion, no human chromosomes could be detected in our transformed clones. When grown under nonselective conditions about 3% of the gene transfer cells lost the human HPRT marker per cell generation. Transformants that had lost human HPRT activity were subjected to hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine selection. The frequency of revertants to the HPRT(+) phenotype was less than 1 x 10(-6), and two revertants that were obtained possessed the mouse electrophoretic phenotype. These results argue against a stable integration of the human donor genetic material into the mouse recipient genome.

Incorporation of isolated chromosomes and induction of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase in Chinese hamster cells

Evidence is presented for the uptake of radioactive-labeled isolated Chinese hamster chromosomes following incubation with Chinese hamster cells. Metaphases were found which contained radioactive labeled chromosomes in a very low frequency, and in some of the labeled chromosomes only one chromatid was labeled. Incubation of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferas (HPRT)-deficient Chinese hamster cells with chromosomes isolated from HPRT+ Chinese hamster or human cells resulted in the appearance of HPRT+ cells. Clones derived from these cells were isolated in HAT medium. Cells in mitosis during incubation with the chromosomes yielded thr-e times more HPRT+ clones than did cells in interphase. The intraspecies combination involving recipient cells and chromosomes from Chinese hamster origin yielded significantly higher numbers of HPRT+ clones than did the interspecies system using human chromsomes and Chinese hamster recipient cells (5 X 10(-5) and 6 X 10(-6) respectively). Electrophoresis of HPRT from Chinese hamster cells treated with human chromosomes revealed the pattern of the human enzyme.

A deficiency of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase in a sycamore callus resistant to azaguanine

Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) calluses resistant to azaguanine were isolated after mutagenesis with nitrosoguanidine. One callus SNC61 was highly variable in its growth on 10 μg/ml azaguanine and it was concluded that its resistance was not due to a stable alteration in the callus. Another callus SNE31 was isolated after 4.5 months culture in 0.5 or 1 μg/ml azaguanine which had a 10-fold increase in resistance to azaguanine. This was shown to be accompanied by a reduction to 50% of the normal level of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (E.C.2.4.2.8).