Hemoglobin synthesis in somatic cell hybrids: coexpression of mouse with human or chinese hamster globin genes in interspecific somatic cell hybrids of mouse erythroleukemia cells.

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Abstract
Somatic cell hybrids were derived by fusion of mouse erythroleukemia cells with fractionated human marrow enriched in erythroblasts, or with Chinese hamster fetal liver erythroid cells. Such interspecific hybrid cells, when isolated in suspension culture, retained nearly all the mouse chromosomes and lost most of the human or Chinese hamster chromosomes. Two such hybrids (1 human and hamster) studied 4-6 wk after fusion, contained several non-mouse chromosomes. RNA extracted from the human marrow .times. erythroleukemia hybrid annealed equally to both human and mouse globin complementary DNA, indicating that coexpression of the globin genes of each species occurred in the hybrid cells. Mouse and human mRNA accumulated only after incubation of the cells in 2% dimethylsulfoxide. The Chinese hamster .times. erythroleukemia hybrid contain a double complement of mouse chromosomes in addition to several Chinese hamster chromosomes. After 7 days of incubation in 2% dimethylsulfoxide, [3H]leucine was incorporated into Chinese hamster .beta.-globin and the mouse globin chains. Globin genes from differentiated cells, when introduced into spontaneously proliferating erythroleukemia cells, may be expressed after exposure of the resulting hybrid cells to an agent capable of inducing Hb synthesis in the erythroleukemia cell.