Detection of active heteropolymeric beta-glucuronidase in hybrids between mouse cells and human fibroblasts with beta-glucuronidase deficiency.

Heteropolymeric beta-glucuronidases are detected in somatic cell hybrids between mouse cells and human fibroblasts deficient in beta-glucuronidase (beta-D-glucuronide glucuronosohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.31) by electrophoresis and column chromatography. Specific antisera against human beta-glucuronidase prepared in mice recognize these heteropolymeric beta-glucuronidases. Our results demonstrate that synthesis of mutant subunits of variant beta-glucuronidase continues in deficient human fibroblasts; these mutant subunits of human beta-glucuronidase retain the ability to associate with normal subunits of mouse beta-glucuronidase to form the enzymatically and immunologically active tetramer. These studies demonstrate the usefulness of interspecific cell hybrids for study of structural gene mutations of polymeric enzymes, such as those of beta-glucuronidase in mucopolysaccharidosis type VII.     

Expression of human and mouse nonhistone chromosomal proteins in hybrid mouse erythroleukemia cells containing a single human chromosome.

The nonhistone chromosomal proteins of a series of hybrid mouse erythroleukemia cell lines containing human chromosome 16 were investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to determine if such cells contained nonhistone chromosomal proteins of both human and mouse origin. Comparison of the two-dimensional gel electrophoretograms of the nonhistone chromosomal proteins of mouse and human cell lines showed 400 and 280 chromosomal proteins, respectively, of which about 75% were electrophoretically identical. The two-dimensional gel electrophoretogram of a cloned hybrid mouse erythroleukemia cell line that retained a tetraploid complement of mouse chromosomes and human chromosome 16 (as the only human chromosome) displayed a nonhistone chromosomal protein of pI 6.2 and Mr 65,000. This protein, which comigrates with a nonhistone chromosomal protein present in the human cell line used to produce this hybrid cell and which is also present in two additional human cells lines studied, could not be detected in the mouse erythroleukemia parent before fusion. This polypeptide also was shown by similar techniques to be associated with the presence of human chromosome 16 in four out of five other independently derived hybrid mouse erythroleukemia cell lines that contained a near tetraploid complement of mouse erythroleukemia chromosomes.     

Chimeric mice derived from human—mouse hybrid cells

Mouse teratocarcinoma cells from the OTT6050 ascites tumor were established in tissue culture and selected for 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) resistance. The embryonal carcinoma cells grew without a feeder layer, remained deficient for thymidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.75), and differentiated like the original tumor into various tissues after subcutaneous injection into 129 mice. We fused the BrdUrd-resistant mouse teratocarcinoma cells with HT1080-6TG human diploid fibrosarcoma cells deficient in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) and selected for hybrid cells in hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine medium. The resulting hybrid cells segregated human chromosomes quickly and retained one to three human chromosomes including chromosome 17 that carries the human genes for thymidine kinase and galactokinase (EC 2.7.1.6). Single hybrid cells from five independent clones containing human chromosome 17 were injected into mouse blastocysts bearing several genetic markers that affect the coat color phenotype and strain-specific enzyme variants in order to detect tissue differentiation derived from the injected cells. After the injection of single hybrid cells into a total of 103 experimental blastocysts that had been surgically transferred to pseudopregnant foster mothers, 49 mice were born and 2 of them clearly revealed coat mosaicism. In 2 of 17 mice thus far analyzed, the injected hybrid cells proved to be capable of participating substantially in development of seven different organs. However, human gene products have not yet been detected unequivocally in those tissues and weak human-specific galactokinase activity could be recovered only from two mosaic tissues.Our results demonstrate that, after in vitro culture and selection, at least some of the human-mouse hybrid cells still retain their in vivo potential to differentiate and become functionally integrated in the living organism. It now seems feasible to cycle mouse teratocarcinoma cells carrying human genetic material through mice via blastocyst injection to study human gene expression during differentiation.     

Neuronal properties of hybrid neuroblastoma X sympathetic ganglion cells.

Clonal mouse neuroblastoma cells without tyrosine 3-monooxygenase [EC 1.14.16.2; tyrosine hydroxylase; L-tyrosine, tetrahydropteridine:oxygen oxidoreductase (3-hydroxylating)] activity were fused with normal cells from embryonic mouse sympathetic ganglia. One of the 37 hybrid cell lines obtained possesses high tyrosine 3-monooxygenase activity and synthesizes dopamine. These cells also have excitable membranes and generate action potentials in response to electrical stimuli. Thus hybrid cells, generated by fusion of neuroblastoma cells with normal cells from the nervous system, can acquire neural properties not found with the parental neuroblastoma cells.     

Characterization of a cDNA coding for human factor X.

A lambda gt11 cDNA library containing DNA inserts prepared from human liver mRNA has been screened with an antibody to human factor X, a plasma protein participating in the middle phase of the blood coagulation cascade. Ten positive clones were isolated from 2 X 10(6) phage and plaque purified. The cDNA in the phage containing the largest insert has been sequenced and shown to code for human factor X. This cDNA insert contained 1137 base pairs coding for a portion of the light chain of the molecule, a connecting region, the heavy chain, a stop codon, a short 3' noncoding region, and a poly(A) tail. The sequence of A-T-T-A-A-A, which functions as a potential recognition site for polyadenylylation or processing, was present in the 3' end of the coding sequence and preceded the stop codon of TGA by 1 base pair and the poly(A) tail by 14 base pairs. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA indicated that factor X is synthesized as a single-chain polypeptide containing the light and heavy chains connected by an Arg-Lys-Arg tripeptide. The single-chain molecule is then converted to the light and heavy chains by cleavage of two (or more) internal peptide bonds. In plasma, these two chains are linked together by a disulfide bond. The DNA sequence coding for the active site of human factor X showed a high degree of identity with prothrombin and factor IX, two other vitamin K-dependent serine proteases that participate in blood coagulation. These data along with the protein sequence data previously published for the light chain of human factor X establish the complete amino acid sequence for the mature protein present in plasma.     

Synapse formation between clonal neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid cells and striated muscle cells.

Clonal neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid cells were shown to form synapses with cultured, striated muscle cells. The properties of the synapses between hybrid and muscle cells were similar to those of the normal, neuromuscular synapse at an early stage of development. The number of synapses formed and the efficiency of transmission across synapses were found to be regulated, apparently independently, by components in the culture medium. Under appropriate conditions synapses were found with 20% of the hybrid-muscle cell pairs examined; thus, the hybrid cells form synapses with relatively high frequency.     

Characterization of a temperature-sensitive mutant of mouse FM3A cells defective in DNA replication.

The characterization of a temperature-sensitive mutant (tsFT20 strain, dnats) of mouse FM3A cells is reported. After incubation of tsFT20 cells at the nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C), DNA synthesis ceased with little change in either RNA or protein synthesis. Flow-microfluorometric analysis revealed that the cell cycle of tsFT20 cells grown at 39 degrees C for 16 hr was similar to that of wild-type cells that were synchronized at the G1/S boundary and at S phase by treatment with aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha. The DNA polymerase alpha activity of tsFT20 cells measured in crude cell extracts or in purified preparations was inactivated more rapidly at 39 degrees C than the activity of wild-type cells. In the growth revertants of the tsFT20 cell strain, the heat lability of DNA polymerase alpha decreased. These data suggest that tsFT20 is a temperature-sensitive mutant of DNA polymerase alpha or of a factor associated with DNA polymerase alpha that is essential for its activity.     

Liver disease and serum hexosaminidase levels. Studies in a human hepatoma cell-line (Hep G2 cells)

In various forms of liver disease, increased levels of the lysosomal enzyme β-hexosaminidase (Hex) occur in serum. This may be caused by disturbances of the hepatocytic function, and we therefore studied the intracellular and extracellular isoenzyme pattern of Hex in a human hepatoma cell-line (Hep G2), using an immunoassay method, which separates Hex A and Hex B isoforms. This cell-line synthesizes and secretes Hex. The cumulative release of extracellular activity was about 3–10% of the intracellular activity. B-isoforms comprised one-third of intracellular activity but only 20% of extracellular activity. The proportion of extracellular B-isoforms increased with time, presumably due to instability of A-isoforms at 37°C. Cycloheximide inhibited the release of Hex activity, whereas NH₄Cl increased the extracellular fraction of Hex, even at a concentration of 1 mmol/l. We speculate that the increased concentration of NH₄+ in patients with liver disease interferes with the distribution pathway of the lysosomal enzymes. This might be one reason for the increased serum Hex activity found in patients with liver disease.     

Somatic cell hybrids between mouse peritoneal macrophages and simian-virus-40-transformed human cells: II. Presence of human chromosome 7 carrying simin virus 40 genome in cells of tumors induced by hybrid cells.

Cells derived from tumors induced in "nude" mice after injection of cells that were hybrids between mouse peritoneal macrophages and simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed human cells were found to retain the human chromosome 7 carrying the SV40 genome, and indicate that the presence of human chromosome 7 carrying the SV40 genome is responsible for the expression of the tumorigenic phenotype in the hybrid cells.     

Characterization of primitive hematopoietic cells in normal human peripheral blood.

The total number of clonogenic cells present in 5-week-old long-term cultures (LTC) initiated by seeding normal human marrow cells on competent adherent cell feeder layers allows for the quantitation of a more primitive hematopoietic input precursor cell type referred to as an LTC-initiating cell (LTC-IC). Previous studies have suggested that LTC-IC also circulate because production of clonogenic cells continues for many weeks when cells from the light-density (< 1.077 g/mL), T-cell-depleted fraction of normal blood are maintained on irradiated, marrow-derived feeder layers in LTC medium. We now show that the number of clonogenic cells present in such reconstructed LTC after 5 weeks is linearly related to the input number of peripheral blood (PB) cells over a wide range of cell concentrations, thereby permitting the quantitation of circulating LTC-IC by limiting dilution analysis. Using this approach, we have found the concentration of LTC-IC in the circulation of normal adults to be 2.9 +/- 0.5/mL. This is approximately 75-fold lower than the concentration of circulating clonogenic cells (ie, burst-forming units-erythroid plus colony-forming units [CFU] granulocyte-macrophage plus CFU-granulocyte, erythroid, monocyte, megakaryocyte) and represents a frequency of LTC-IC relative to all nucleated cells that is approximately 100-fold lower than that measured in normal marrow aspirate samples. Characterization studies showed most circulating LTC-IC to be small (low forward light scatter and side scatter), CD34+, Rh-123dull, HLA-DR-, and 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide-resistant cells, with differentiative and proliferative potentialities indistinguishable from LTC-IC in normal marrow. Isolation of the light-density, T-cell-depleted, CD34+, and either HLA-DR(low) or Rh-123(dull) fraction of normal blood yielded a highly enriched population of cells that were 0.5% to 1% LTC-IC (approximately 1,500-fold enriched beyond the light-density, T-cell-depletion step), a purity comparable to the most enriched populations of human marrow LTC-IC reported to date. However, purification of PB LTC-IC on the basis of these properties did not allow them to be physically separated from a substantial proportion (> 30%) of the clonogenic cells in the same samples, in contrast to previous findings for LTC-IC and clonogenic cells in marrow. These studies show the presence in the blood of normal adults of a relatively small but readily detectable population of functionally defined, primitive hematopoietic cells that share properties with marrow LTC-IC, a cell type thought to have in vivo reconstituting potential.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Characterization of human Sertoli cells in vitro

The Sertoli cell is thought to play a significant role in the hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis within the rat testis. Little, however, is known about Sertoli cell function in man, largely because of the difficulties associated with the isolation of pure cell populations from human tissue. We have now developed a rapid and reproducible technique for establishing a human Sertoli cell monolayer culture. This has involved mechanical separation of the tissue, sequential trypsin and collagenase enzyme digestion, and final disruption of tubules by passage through a wire mesh grid. Using this technique, primary cultures can be maintained for up to 45 days. Ultrastructural studies of these cells have demonstrated the presence of the perinucleolar spheres, cell to cell junctional complexes, abundant lipid droplets, and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, all characteristic of Sertoli cells. Furthermore, biochemical markers of animal Sertoli cells, androgen-binding protein and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, have also been identified in these human cells. Concentrated media electrophoresed on nondenaturing gels containing 2 nM [3H]dihydrotestosterone produced a single peak of bound activity which coelectrophoresed with rat androgen-binding protein. This binding activity persisted despite media changes, thus ruling out contamination by serum binding proteins; fresh media lacked demonstrable binding activity. Using a colorimetric assay, these cells were also found to contain significant gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity compared to human foreskin fibroblasts and Leydig cells. Enzyme activity increased in a characteristic dose-response fashion in the presence of FSH (0.05-0.5 microgram/ml) and dibutyryl cAMP (0.1-1 microgram/ml), but not with LH or testosterone. These data offer the first demonstration of human Sertoli cells in monolayer culture and their production of a marker specifically regulated by FSH.     

Characterization of an almost full-length cDNA coding for human blood coagulation factor X.

A human liver cDNA library was screened by colony hybridization with a bovine factor X cDNA probe. Three of the positive plasmids contained overlapping DNA that coded for most of human factor X mRNA. DNA sequence analysis of these three clones allowed the prediction of the complete amino acid sequence of plasma factor X. From these studies, we predict that human factor X is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain precursor in which the light and heavy chains of plasma factor X are linked by the tripeptide Arg-Lys-Arg. The cDNA sequence also predicts that human factor X is synthesized as a preproprotein having an amino-terminal leader peptide of at least 28 amino acid residues. A comparison of the amino acid sequences of human and bovine factor X shows high sequence identity around the calcium-binding regions and catalytic regions but low sequence identity around the nonfunctional regions.     

Characterization of a panel of somatic cell hybrids for regional mapping of the mouse X chromosome.

A panel of five hybrid cell lines containing mouse X chromosomes with various deletions has been obtained by fusing splenocytes from male mice carrying one of a series of reciprocal X-autosome translocations with the azaguanine-resistant Chinese hamster cell line CH3g. These hybrids have been extensively characterized by using the allozymes hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (encoded by the Hprt locus) and alpha-galactosidase (Ags) and a series of 11 X-chromosome-specific DNA probes whose localization had been previously established by linkage studies. Such studies have established the genetic breakpoints of the T(X;12)13Rl and T(X;2)14Rl X-autosome translocations on the X chromosome and provided additional information as to the X-chromosome genetic breakpoints of the T(X;16)16H, T(X;4)7Rl, and T(X;7)6Rl translocations. The data establish clearly that both the T(X;4)7Rl and T(X;12)13Rl X-chromosome breakpoints are proximal to Hprt, the breakpoint of the former being more centromeric, lying as it does in the 9-centimorgan interval between the ornithine transcarbamoylase (Otc) and DXPas7 (M2C) loci. Similarly, it is now clear that the T(X;16)16H X-autosome translocation breakpoint lies distal to the DXPas8 (St14-1) locus, narrowing the X-chromosome breakpoint down to a region flanked proximally by this marker and representing, as expected from previous data, the distal quarter of the Hprt-Ta subchromosomal span. These five hybrid cell lines provide, with the previously characterized EBS4 hybrid cell line, a nested series of seven mapping intervals distributed along the length of the mouse X chromosome. Their characterization not only allows further correlation of the genetic and cytological X-chromosome maps but also should permit the rapid identification of DNA probes specific for particular regions of the mouse X chromosome.     

Characterization of a cloned repetitive DNA sequence concentrated on the human X chromosome.

A tandemly repeated DNA sequence organized predominantly, if not entirely, in a specific manner on the human X chromosome has been cloned in pBR322 and characterized. The sequence was detected as a 2-kilobase band in ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels of BamHI-digested total human nuclear DNA. Although in situ hybridization of the cloned sequence to human metaphase chromosomes showed a single major site of hybridization at the centromere region of the X chromosome and minor sites of hybridization at several autosomal centromeres, Southern blot analysis of restricted total human DNA indicated that the cloned probe is related to other repeated DNAs, particularly the human alphoid DNAs. Restriction enzyme analysis of the cloned fragment revealed an internal repeat structure based upon multiples of 170 base pairs, confirming this relatedness. All available data, however, suggest that the 2-kilobase spacing of BamHI sites within the repeat may be specific to the X chromosome.     

Expression of hybrid class I genes of the major histocompatibility complex in mouse L cells.

The class I genes of the major histocompatibility complex of the mouse can be divided into two categories: those encoding the transplantation antigens and those encoding the Qa and Tla antigens. The inbred BALB/c mouse has 28 potential Qa/Tla genes. The sites of tissue expression, developmental regulation, and functions of these genes are virtually unknown. We have used the technique of exon shuffling to construct hybrid genes between each of three Qa region genes (Q5, Q7, and Q8) and two other class I genes (H-2Ld and Q6). The hybrid genes have been transfected into mouse L cells, in which intact transplantation antigen genes generally are expressed and in which intact Qa genes generally are not expressed. Analysis of expression of the hybrid gene constructs indicates that the 5' half of two of the Qa genes (Q5 and Q8) can readily be expressed in the context of a hybrid molecule, whereas the 3' half prevents cell-surface expression. The exon shuffling approach described here will be useful in characterizing Qa/Tla genes and in identifying or producing new reagents to study the Qa/Tla gene products, their tissue distribution, their developmental stages of expression, and, ultimately, their functions.     

Characterization of an interferon receptor on human lymphoblastoid cells.

A cell-free assay was developed to measure the binding of iodinated human interferon-alpha 2 to membranes prepared from lymphoblastoid Daudi cells. The kinetics of binding were similar at 0 degrees C and 30 degrees C, with 1.3-fold more interferon bound at the higher temperature. Membrane preparations treated with Triton X-100 proved to be a convenient source of solubilized receptor. An assay was developed to measure the binding of 125I-labeled interferon (125I-interferon) to solubilized receptors, based on the precipitation of interferon-receptor complexes with polyethylene glycol. Optimal binding with this assay was obtained at 0 degrees C. The solubilized receptor was analyzed by zonal sedimentation centrifugation and gel filtration. Sedimentation analysis in H2O and 2H2O gradients provided the sedimentation coefficient and the partial specific volume of the receptor-Triton X-100 complex. Gel filtration chromatography provided the Stokes radius of this complex. From these data we calculated several physical parameters, including Mr = 95,000 for the protein portion of the complex. The receptor is a highly asymmetric and hydrophobic membrane protein. 125I-Interferon could be crosslinked to receptors of intact Daudi cells or of isolated membranes by use of disuccinimidyl suberate. The covalently linked 125I-interferon-receptor complexes were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. A single band with Mr = 140,000 was detected in gel autoradiographs. If one molecule of interferon is present in this complex, the Mr of the receptor is close to 120,000. Possible reasons for the different Mr values obtained with the two analytical procedures used are discussed.