Correction of alkylation hypersensitivity of CHO-W27-1 cells by transfection with human DNA

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Abstract
Chinese hamster cells of the mutant strain W27-1 which is hypersensitive to UV and monofunctional alkylating agents were transfected with human DNA ligated to the bacterial xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (gpt) gene. Selection was performed for resistance to mycophenolic acid and finally for survival after treatment with high doses of methyl methanesulfonate. A gpt+ transfectant was generated (T38-2-7) which acquired resistance to methyl methanesulfonate and cross-resistance to N-methyl-N′ -nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine at levels comparable with the parental (wild-type) strain CHO-9. T38-2-7 cells were not more resistant, however, to UV, mitomycin C and N-hydroxyethyl-N-chloroethylnitrosourea than the mutant W27-1. The transfectant contains integrated human DNA and was shown to be deficient for the O6 methyltransferase. The results indicate that the transfected DNA specifically complemented the defect underlying alkylation hypersensitivity of W27-1 cells or that a gene was transfected which is generally inactive in CHO cells and which causes alkylation resistance.