Construction and use of a dominant, selectable marker: a Harvey sarcoma virus-dihydrofolate reductase chimera

Met promotes the formation of double minute chromosomes induced by Sei-1 in NIH-3T3 murine fibroblasts

BACKGROUND

Sei-1 is an oncogene capable of inducing double minute chromosomes (DMs) formation. DMs are hallmarks of amplification and contribute to oncogenesis. However, the mechanism of Sei-1 inducing DMs formation remains unelucidated.

RESULTS

DMs formation significantly increased during serial passage in vivo and gradually decreased following culture in vitro. micro nuclei (MN) was found to be responsible for the reduction. Of the DMs-carrying genes, Met was found to be markedly amplified, overexpressed and highly correlated with DMs formation. Inhibition of Met signaling decreased the number of DMs and reduced the amplification of the DMs-carrying genes. We identified a 3.57Mb DMs representing the majority population, which consists of the 1.21 Mb AMP1 from locus 6qA2 and the 2.36 Mb AMP2 from locus 6qA2-3.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We employed NIH-3T3 cell line with Sei-1 overexpression to monitor and characterize DMs in vivo and in vitro. Array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed to reveal amplification regions and DMs-carrying genes. Metaphase spread was prepared to count the DMs. Western blot and Met inhibition rescue experiments were performed to examine for involvement of altered Met signaling in Sei-1 induced DMs. Genomic walking and PCR were adopted to reveal DMs structure.

CONCLUSIONS

Met is an important promotor of DMs formation.

Puromycin- and methotrexate-resistance cassettes and optimized Cre-recombinase expression plasmids for use in yeast

Here we expand the set of tools for genetically manipulating Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that puromycin-resistance can be achieved in yeast through expression of a bacterial puromycin-resistance gene optimized to the yeast codon bias, which in turn serves as an easy-to-use dominant genetic marker suitable for gene disruption. We have constructed a similar DNA cassette expressing yeast codon-optimized mutant human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which confers resistance to methotrexate and can also be used as a dominant selectable marker. Both of these drug-resistant marker cassettes are flanked by loxP sites, allowing for their excision from the genome following expression of Cre-recombinase. Finally, we have created a series of plasmids for low-level constitutive expression of Cre-recombinase in yeast that allows for efficient excision of loxP-flanked markers.

Threonine synthesis from homoserine as a selectable marker in mammalian cells

The plasmid pSVthrBC expresses the Escherichia coli thrB (homoserine kinase) and thrC (threonine synthase) genes in mouse cells and enables them to synthesize threonine from homoserine. After transfection with pSVthrBC and culture in medium containing homoserine, only cells that have incorporated pSVthrBC survive. Homoserine at concentrations greater than 1 mM is toxic to mammalian cells. Mouse cells selected from medium containing 5 mM homoserine had incorporated 20-100 copies of the plasmid per cell and had homoserine kinase activities of 0.001-0.012 nmol/min per mg of protein per copy. Cells selected from medium containing 10 mM homoserine had incorporated one or two copies of the plasmid per cell and had homoserine kinase activities of 0.06-0.39 nmol/min per mg of protein per copy. By using high concentrations of homoserine, it is possible to use pSVthrBC to select and isolate cell lines that have one or two copies of the plasmid incorporated into an active region of chromatin. CHO and HeLa cells have also been successfully transfected with pSVthrBC. COS-7 cells are naturally resistant to homoserine as they are able to metabolize homoserine.

Effect of von Willebrand factor coexpression on the synthesis and secretion of factor VIII in Chinese hamster ovary cells

In plasma, antihemophilic factor (factor VIII) exists as a 200-kilodalton heavy-chain polypeptide in a metal ion association with an 80-kilodalton light-chain polypeptide. This complex is bound by hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions to a large multimeric glycoprotein, von Willebrand factor (vWF). Accumulation of secreted human factor VIII activity expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells requires the addition of serum in the growth medium, which provides vWF. Here we report that coexpression of vWF with factor VIII in Chinese hamster ovary cells resulted in increased stable accumulation of factor VIII activity in the absence of serum in the growth medium. In the coexpressing cells, the vWF cDNA transcription unit was transcribed to yield mRNA which was efficiently translated. vWF was properly processed and secreted to yield disulfide-bonded high-molecular-weight multimers similar to those observed in vWF secreted from human endothelial cells. Nuclear run-on assays showed that the factor VIII gene was transcribed at a level similar to that of the vWF gene, but the mRNA did not accumulate to high levels in the cytoplasm. In addition, although the translation efficiency of the factor VIII mRNA was similar to that of vWF, the processing and secretion of the factor VIII primary translation product was dramatically reduced compared with vWF. These results demonstrate that in Chinese hamster ovary cells both factor VIII mRNA accumulation and the processing and secretion of the primary factor VIII translation product are inefficient processes.

Effect of von Willebrand factor coexpression on the synthesis and secretion of factor VIII in Chinese hamster ovary cells

In plasma, antihemophilic factor (factor VIII) exists as a 200-kilodalton heavy-chain polypeptide in a metal ion association with an 80-kilodalton light-chain polypeptide. This complex is bound by hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions to a large multimeric glycoprotein, von Willebrand factor (vWF). Accumulation of secreted human factor VIII activity expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells requires the addition of serum in the growth medium, which provides vWF. Here we report that coexpression of vWF with factor VIII in Chinese hamster ovary cells resulted in increased stable accumulation of factor VIII activity in the absence of serum in the growth medium. In the coexpressing cells, the vWF cDNA transcription unit was transcribed to yield mRNA which was efficiently translated. vWF was properly processed and secreted to yield disulfide-bonded high-molecular-weight multimers similar to those observed in vWF secreted from human endothelial cells. Nuclear run-on assays showed that the factor VIII gene was transcribed at a level similar to that of the vWF gene, but the mRNA did not accumulate to high levels in the cytoplasm. In addition, although the translation efficiency of the factor VIII mRNA was similar to that of vWF, the processing and secretion of the factor VIII primary translation product was dramatically reduced compared with vWF. These results demonstrate that in Chinese hamster ovary cells both factor VIII mRNA accumulation and the processing and secretion of the primary factor VIII translation product are inefficient processes.

Amplification and expression of heterologous ornithine decarboxylase in Chinese hamster cells

We have developed an amplifiable mammalian expression vector based on the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). We show greater than 700-fold amplification of this vector in ODC-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells. A passive coamplified marker, dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr), was amplified and overexpressed 1,000-fold. This ODC vector was a dominant marker in a variety of cell types and displayed at least 300-fold amplification in wild-type Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Amplification and expression of heterologous ornithine decarboxylase in Chinese hamster cells

We have developed an amplifiable mammalian expression vector based on the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). We show greater than 700-fold amplification of this vector in ODC-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells. A passive coamplified marker, dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr), was amplified and overexpressed 1,000-fold. This ODC vector was a dominant marker in a variety of cell types and displayed at least 300-fold amplification in wild-type Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Selection and amplification of heterologous genes encoding adenosine deaminase in mammalian cells

We demonstrate that an adenosine deaminase (ADA) cDNA gene can function as a dominant selectable and amplifiable marker for gene transfer experiments in mammalian cells. Cells that incorporate the gene can be selected by growth in the presence of low concentrations of the ADA inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin with cytotoxic concentrations of adenosine or its analogue 9-beta-D-xylofuranosyl adenine. The DNA copy number of the transfected ADA minigene in the isolated transformants of Chinese hamster ovary cells can be amplified greater than 100-fold by growth in ADA selection media and increasing concentrations of 2'-deoxycoformycin. This selection scheme may allow for the introduction and subsequent amplification of heterologous DNA in a variety of mammalian cells.