Amplification of genes for chorion proteins during oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

Cytophotometric studies on cells from the ovaries of otu mutants of Drosophila melanogaster

Amounts of chromosomal DNA were estimated for Feulgen-stained, ovarian cells from flies carrying certain mutant alleles of the otu (ovarian tumor) gene. Epithelial sheath cells and lumen cells were found to contain the diploid (2C) amount of DNA and therefore served as internal, cytophotometric standards. Mitotically active follicle cells over young tumors from homozygous otu1 females contained either the 2C or 4C amounts of DNA; whereas, the tumor cell population contained 2C, 4C and 8C nuclei and many intermediate values. Egg chambers also occur in homozygous otu7 females. Follicle cells above these oocytes undergo a maximum of four cycles of endomitotic DNA replication. The accompanying nurse cells (PNC) contain polytene chromosomes. These undergo a maximum of 12 endonuclear replication cycles. The PNCs show the expected levels of DNA for the first 6 cycles and the fraction failing to replicate during subsequent cycles may be as small as 10%. Lower than expected levels of DNA were detected in PNCs from an otu1/otu3 ovary, reflecting roughly 20% underreplication. The latter PNCs may have been interrupted before DNA synthesis was concluded. No simple model of genomic underreplication accounts for the several different patterns of DNA behavior observed for various otu mutants.

Loss of unstably amplified dihydrofolate reductase genes from mouse cells is greatly accelerated by hydroxyurea

Previous work has shown that mammalian cells that carry unstably amplified genes for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gradually lose the amplified DHFR genes when grown in the absence of the DHFR inhibitor methotrexate (MTX). Unstably amplified genes occur on small acentric chromosomes called double minutes (DMs) or even smaller chromatin fragments, in contrast to stably amplified genes, which reside in centromere-containing chromosomes. We have found that the rate of loss of the unstably amplified DHFR genes can be greatly oncreased by growing the cells in the presence of a nonlethal concentration of hydroxyurea. For example, in one MTX-resistant subline studied, approximately equal to 90% of the original DHFR gene dosage is lost in 25-30 cell doublings in the absence of MTX. The same degree of loss is achieved, however, in less than 4 doublings if cells are grown in the presence of 50 microM hydroxyurea. This new effect of hydroxyurea does not appear to be due to changes in plating efficiency or selective cytotoxicity. In particular, no increase in cell death occurs at 50 microM hydroxyurea, and cells continue to multiply, albeit 1/2 to 2/3 as fast as in the absence of hydroxyurea. The ability to selectively accelerate the loss of amplified genes from mammalian cells as shown in the present work may have important implications both for the problem of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy and for curing mammalian cells of extrachromosomally maintained DNA genomes of pathogenic viruses.

Properties of single-step mutants of Syrian hamster cell lines resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate

Eleven independent lines of Syrian hamster cells were selected by using very low levels of N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), an inhibitor of aspartate transcarbamylase. The protocol employed insured that each resistant cell arose during one of the last divisions before selection was applied. Cells of each mutant line contained an amplification of the structural gene for CAD, a trifunctional protein which includes aspartate transcarbamylase and two other enzymes of UMP biosynthesis. Strikingly, despite the minimal selection employed, the degree of amplification of the CAD gene was 6 to 10 times the normal diploid number in all 11 cases. In situ hybridization indicated that the amplified CAD genes were almost always present at a single chromosomal site in each line. Therefore, one of the two alleles was amplified 11- to 19-fold. The rates at which cells became resistant to PALA, determined by fluctuation analysis, were 100 times less dependent on drug concentration than were the frequencies of resistant cells in steady-state populations. The relatively shallow dependence of this rate upon PALA concentration is consistent with our independent observation that most events gave rise to a similar degree of amplification. In six of six cell lines examined, the levels of CAD mRNA and aspartate transcarbamylase activity were elevated two- to fourfold. These lines were resistant to PALA concentrations 20- to 80-fold higher than the ones used for selection. The organization of amplified DNA was examined by hybridizing Southern blots with cloned DNA fragments containing amplified sequences, previously isolated from two cell lines resistant to high levels of PALA. A contiguous region of DNA approximately 44 kilobases long which included the CAD gene was amplified in five of five single-step mutants examined. Outside this region, these mutants shared amplified sequences with only one of the two highly resistant lines.

Phenotypic variation associated with molecular alterations at a cluster of thymidine kinase genes

Genetic variation was studied in several mouse L cell lines containing tandemly repeated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) genes introduced by DNA-mediated gene transfer. Variants were obtained after alternate positive and negative selection for TK expression. Three classes of molecular alteration are described. One class consisted of a concerted wave of hypermethylation affecting many sites in all or nearly all of the TK genes. This resulted in genetically stable TK- variants. Of five TK+ transformants from independent transfer experiments, only one, named HM, showed this class of methylation. Hypermethylation was a reproducible phenomenon in HM, yielding TK- variants after selection with either bromodeoxyuridine or acycloguanosine [Acyclovir or 9-(2-hydroxyethy-oxymethyl)guanine]. A second class of alteration consisted of methylation affecting some, but not all, genes in the cluster. This happened in all TK+ (HAT [hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine]-resistant) cell lines investigated, and this second class of methylation was incapable of generating TK- variants. Neither type of methylation was accompanied by genomic rearrangements. The third class of molecular alteration was found among TK+ (HAT-resistant) back revertants of hypermethylated HM TK- derivatives. It consisted of a 10-fold amplification of the hypermethylated TK genes. Demethylation of hypermethylated HM variants was not observed. Thus, hypermethylation in this system can be compensated for by amplification but cannot be reversed.

Homologous sequences other than insertion elements can serve as recombination sites in plasmid drug resistance gene amplification

A plasmid (pRR983) was constructed which has a gene coding for neomycin and kanamycin resistance flanked by direct repeats of regions of homology which contain no known insertion sequences. pRR983 does not have any homologous IS1 sequences. Growth of Proteus mirabilis harboring pRR983 in medium containing high concentration of neomycin resulted in cells which were highly resistant to both neomycin and kanamycin. Plasmid DNA was analyzed by using restriction endonucleases. In most cases the neomycin resistance gene had been tandemly duplicated by using the homologous DNA sequences flanking the resistance gene as recombination sites. This is analogous to tandem duplication of drug resistance genes on NR1 using the two direct repeats of IS1 as recombination sites. The amplified plasmid DNA returned to its original structure by the deletion of amplified neomycin resistance determinants when the host cells were cultured without selection for high resistance to neomycin.

Specific DNA sequence amplification in human neuroblastoma cells

Southern blot analysis of a number of EcoRI-digested human neuroblastoma DNAs has revealed the presence of a family of discrete restriction fragments, the majority of which are amplified in most, but not all, of the neuroblastoma cell lines tested. None of these sequences is abundantly present in DNA from other human tumors of different tissue origins, including several either known or presumed to contain amplified DNA. Hence, these sequences appear to be specifically amplified by neuroblastoma cells. Hybridization with metaphase chromosomes in situ has localized these sequences to either the homogeneously staining regions or double-minute chromosomes of different neuroblastoma cell lines, indicating that these chromosomal structures, although present in cell lines established from different patients, share many sequences and may have a common, but as yet unknown, function.

Extent of BrdUrd-induced prolactin gene amplification in GH cells

The thymidine analog, 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd), induces prolactin (Prl) synthesis and Prl gene amplification in a subclone of GH cells (rat pituitary tumor cells in culture). Withdrawal of drug treatment reverses both processes. Our previous results show that Prl gene amplification is associated with an event involving extrachromosomal DNA. The results presented in this report show that a 20-kb length of DNA, including all the coding sequences of the Prl gene, is amplified following BrdUrd treatment of this strain of GH cells. Amplification of DNA sequences extends about 3 kb upstream from the 5' end and about 7 kb downstream from the 3' end of the Prl gene. The DNA sequences immediately adjacent to these 5'-and 3'-flanking regions of the Prl gene are not affected by BrdUrd treatment. These results suggest that BrdUrd-induced amplification of Prl gene coding and neighboring sequences is restricted to within 3 kb of the 5' end and within 7 kb of the 3' end of the structural gene Analysis of low-molecular-weight extrachromosomal DNA isolated by Hirt's procedure from drug-treated cells reveals a similar pattern of amplification of the Prl gene and its flanking sequences.

Phenotypic variation associated with molecular alterations at a cluster of thymidine kinase genes

Genetic variation was studied in several mouse L cell lines containing tandemly repeated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) genes introduced by DNA-mediated gene transfer. Variants were obtained after alternate positive and negative selection for TK expression. Three classes of molecular alteration are described. One class consisted of a concerted wave of hypermethylation affecting many sites in all or nearly all of the TK genes. This resulted in genetically stable TK- variants. Of five TK+ transformants from independent transfer experiments, only one, named HM, showed this class of methylation. Hypermethylation was a reproducible phenomenon in HM, yielding TK- variants after selection with either bromodeoxyuridine or acycloguanosine [Acyclovir or 9-(2-hydroxyethy-oxymethyl)guanine]. A second class of alteration consisted of methylation affecting some, but not all, genes in the cluster. This happened in all TK+ (HAT [hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine]-resistant) cell lines investigated, and this second class of methylation was incapable of generating TK- variants. Neither type of methylation was accompanied by genomic rearrangements. The third class of molecular alteration was found among TK+ (HAT-resistant) back revertants of hypermethylated HM TK- derivatives. It consisted of a 10-fold amplification of the hypermethylated TK genes. Demethylation of hypermethylated HM variants was not observed. Thus, hypermethylation in this system can be compensated for by amplification but cannot be reversed.

Rapid spontaneous dihydrofolate reductase gene amplification shown by fluorescence-activated cell sorting

We have determined whether the gene encoding dihydrofolate reductase (5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) varies spontaneously in gene copy number in cells in vitro. Cells were stained under nonselective conditions with fluoresceinated methotrexate, which binds quantitatively to dihydrofolate reductase. Cells with the highest fluorescence were collected by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter and subsequently grown in the absence of methotrexate. At no time during the experiment were the cells placed under metabolic stress. After 10 successive rounds of growth and sorting, the derived population showed a 50-fold increase in fluorescence intensity, was highly resistant to methotrexate, and was amplified 40-fold in content of dihydrofolate reductase gene. We also found that cells already having amplified genes can undergo increases or decreases in their fluorescence and in gene copy number even more rapidly (at rates as high as 3 X 10(-2) amplification events per cell division) than do parental cells (ca. 10(-3) events per division). We therefore conclude that gene amplification can occur spontaneously in cells and that the rate of its occurrence varies with gene copy number.

The eggshell of hawaiianDrosophila: structural and biochemical studies inD. grimshawi and comparison toD. melanogaster

The eggshell of the Hawaiian speciesDrosophila grimshawi was analyzed in terms of its structure and biochemical composition. It is generally similar toD. melanogaster in radial structure except that the inner endochorion is relatively compact and the outer endochorion is thick (1.9 μm) and traversed by numerous 50-nm-wide aeropyles (not present inD. melanogaster). Regionally the eggshell consists of the various specialized regions, which are: the holey posterior pole; the dorsal ridge; the operculum with very tall imprint borders; the collar with discontinuous outer endochorion; the micropyle with an external eccentric hole and an internal eccentric paracrystalline region; and the four very long respiratory appendages which exhibit tightly covered surface features for underwater plastron respiration. On the basis of the above structural data we suggest that the entireD. grimshawi eggshell (various layers and specialized regions) is the product of at least eight follicle cell subpopulations. In addition, in vitro culturing with³H-proline indicates that the eggshell is made according to a strict developmental program (analogous toD. melanogaster) and consists of several proteins ranging in molecular weight from 14,000 to 37,000 daltons.

General method for cloning amplified DNA by differential screening with genomic probes

Mutant Syrian hamster cell lines resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate, a potent and specific inhibitor of aspartate transcarbamylase, have amplified the gene coding for the multifunctional protein (CAD) that includes this activity. The average amount of DNA amplified is approximately 500 kilobases per gene copy, about 20 times the length of the CAD gene itself. A differential screening method which uses genomic DNAs as probes was developed to isolate recombinant phage containing fragments of amplified DNA. One probe was prepared by reassociating fragments of total genomic DNA from 165-28, a mutant cell line with 190 times the wild-type complement of CAD genes, until all of the sequences repeated about 200 times were annealed and then isolating the double-stranded DNA with hydroxyapatite. This DNA was highly enriched in sequences from the entire amplified region, whereas the same sequences were very rare in DNA prepared similarly from wild-type cells. After both DNAs were labeled by nick translation, highly repeated sequences were removed by hybridization to immobilized total genomic DNA from wild-type cells. A library of cloned DNA fragments from mutant 165-28 was screened with both probes, and nine independent fragments containing about 165 kilobases of amplified DNA, including the CAD gene, have been isolated so far. These cloned DNAs can be used to study the structure of the amplified region, to evaluate the nature of the amplification event, and to investigate gene expression from the amplified DNA. For example, one amplified fragment included a gene coding for a 3.8-kilobase, cytoplasmic, polyadenylated RNA which was overproduced greatly in cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate. The method for cloning amplified DNA is general and can be used to evaluate the possible involvement of gene amplification in phenomena such as drug resistance, transformation, or differentiation. DNA fragments corresponding to any region amplified about 10-fold or more can be cloned, even if no function for the region is known. The method for removing highly repetitive sequences from genomic DNA probes should also be of general use.

Single-copy and amplified CAD genes in Syrian hamster chromosomes localized by a highly sensitive method for in situ hybridization

Syrian hamster cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), a specific inhibitor of the aspartate transcarbamylase activity of the multifunctional protein CAD, overproduce this protein as a result of amplification of the CAD gene. We have used a sensitive in situ hybridization technique to localize CAD genomes in spreads of metaphase chromosomes from several independent PALA-resistant lines and from wild-type PALA-sensitive cells. The amplified genes were always found within chromosomes, usually in an expanded region of the short arm of chromosome B9. In wild-type cells, the CAD gene was also on the short arm of chromosome B9. In one mutant line, 90 to 100 CAD genes were found within an expanded B9 chromosome and 10 to 15 more were near the distal end of one arm of several different chromosomes. Another line contained most the genes in a telomeric chromosome or large chromosome fragment. The amplified genes were in chromosomal regions that were stained in a banded pattern by trypsin-Giemsa. A few double minute chromosomes were observed in a very small fraction of the total spreads examined. The it situ hybridizations were performed in the presence of 10% dextral sulfate 500, which increases the signal by as much as 100-fold. Using recombinant DNA plasmids nick-translated with [125I]dCTP to high specific radioactivity, 10 CAD genes in a single chromosomal region were revealed after 1 week of autoradiographic exposure, and the position of the unique gene could be seen after 1 month.

Construction and partial characterization of a recombinant DNA probe for locust vitellogenin messenger RNA

Double-stranded DNA complementary to poly(A)-containing RNA from the fat body of adult female locusts, Locusta migratoria, was synthesized. Hybrid molecules containing this cDNA was constructed in the PstI site of the plasmid pAT 153 by the technique of dC . dG tailing and amplified in Escherichia coli K-12 strain HB 101. Ten colonies of bacteria were identified as carrying recombinant plasmids containing DNA complementary to locust vitellogenin mRNA by (a) 'Northern' blot hybridization analysis and (b) hybrid selection of vitellogenin mRNA and immunological detection of the products of translation of the mRNA. Of the ten recombinant plasmids, one, termed plasmid 4E, containing a cDNA insert of about 650 nucleotides, was characterized in greater detail and a partial restriction map obtained. Using this hybrid plasmid it was possible to derive a value for the average content of vitellogenin mRNA in the adult female locust fat body as 1.5 x 10(5) molecules/cell, and to establish that the haploid genome of L. migratoria contains only one or two genes coding for vitellogenin.

Tandem gene amplification mediates copper resistance in yeast

Resistance to copper's toxicity in yeast is controlled by the CUP1r locus. This gene was cloned by transforming sensitive recipients (cup1(8)) with a collection of hybrid DNA molecules, consisting of random yeast DNA fragments inserted into the vector YRp7. Four resistant transformants were studied in detail. Autonomously replicating or integrated by homologous recombination into chromosomal sites, the corresponding plasmids and several subclones confer resistance on sensitive recipients carrying the natural variant allele, cup1(8). Tetrad analysis and genetic mapping established that integration occurs typically at the cup1(8) site located 28 centimorgans distal to thr1, a chromosome VIII marker. Restriction endonuclease cleavage and electrophoretic mobility studies revealed that the CUP1r locus consists of a tandem array of repetitive units. Each unit is 1.95 kilobases in length and contains single sites for Kpn I and Xba I and two Sau3A sites. The sensitive allele represents one repeat and the resistant allele embraces 15 tandemly arrayed repeat units. Progressive selections in higher copper concentrations establish strains with markedly enhanced resistance. Resistance, we propose, is mediated by a gene amplification mechanism based on unequal sister chromatid exchange.

Sarcomeric myosin heavy chain is coded by a highly conserved multigene family

pMHC25, a recombinant plasmid containing myosin heavy chain (MHC) cDNA sequences from differentiated myotubes of the L6E9 rat cell line, has been shown to hybridize to all sarcomeric MHC mRNAs so far tested but not to nonsarcomeric MHC mRNAs. In addition, pMHC25 hybridizes to multiple restriction endonuclease-digested fragments of rat genomic DNA corresponding to different MHC genomic sequences. Thus, the MHC gene represented by pMHC25 is a member of a sarcomeric MHC multigene family that has regions of sequence homology shared among its members. This sarcomeric MHC multigene family has been estimated to be composed of a minimum of seven genes, some of which are polymorphic in the rat. We have also determined that pMHC25 hybridizes to MHC gene sequences in genomic DNA of all species that have striated muscle, ranging from nematodes to man. Sarcomeric MHC genes, therefore, have been horizontally and vertically conserved in evolution. Additionally, we have used the pMHC25 plasmid to demonstrate that MHC genes do not undergo rearrangement or amplification during muscle cell differentiation.

Increased level of prolactin gene sequences in bromodeoxyuridine treated GH cells

The 5-bromodeoxyuridine-resistant (BrdUrdr) derivative (F1BGH12C1) of prolactin nonproducing (PRL-) rat pituitary tumor cell-subclone GH12C1, synthesize prolactin (PRL) in the presence of the drug. Analysis of nuclear RNA isolated from BrdUrd treated F1BHG12C1 cells demonstrated several high molecular weight RNA PRL sequences, similar to those observed in the nuclear RNA fraction of PRL producing (PRL+) GH3 cells. No such RNAPRL sequences could be detected in nuclear RNA fraction of untreated F1 BGH12C1 cells. PRL sequences in the genome of GH3 (PRL+), GH12C1 (PRL-) and F1BGH12C1 (PRL-, BrdUrdr) GH cells could be identified by blot analysis in 4.8-5.2kb fragment of restriction endonuclease, Hind III digested DNA. Both PRL+ and PRL- cells seem to have approximately the same level of PRL gene sequences in total cell DNA. However Hind III digested DNA of BrdUrd treated F1BGH12C cells revealed the presence of significantly higher levels of PRL gene sequences, in comparison, to that observed in total DNA of untreated cells. The increased level of PRL gene sequences was dependent on the period of drug treatment and a parallel increase in the cytoplasmic RNAPRL sequences was also observed.

Identification of storage-protein messenger RNA of the fleshfly Sarcophaga peregrina

Storage-protein mRNA was found to be abundant in poly(A)-containing RNA extracted from the fat-body of third-instar larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina (fleshfly). This RNA sedimented at the position of 19S on sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation and the product of its translation in vitro was 75K protein (protein of mol.wt. 75 000), which was precipitated specifically with antibody against storage protein. This product was suggested to contain a signal sequence that is missing in mature storage protein. The poly(A)-containing RNA was also found to contain much of another mRNA coding for 25K protein (protein of mol.wt. 25 000), but the function of this protein is unknown.

Gene amplification in Rhynchosciara salivary gland chromosomes

Late in the fourth larval instar, several regions of the Rhynchosciara americana salivary gland chromosomes undergo "DNA puffing." We have constructed a library of cloned cDNAs synthesized from poly(A)+RNA isolated from salivary glands during the period of development when the DNA puffs are active. From this library we have studied clones representative of three genes active during this period but not active at earlier developmental periods of the gland. One of these genes is not amplified during the developmental process and encodes a 0.6-kilobase RNA molecule. The other two genes are located within the DNA-puff sites C3 and C8 and encode 1.25-kilobase and 1.95-kilobase RNA molecules, respectively. We estimate from the quantitation of transfer hybridization experiments that each of these genes undergoes 16-fold amplification during DNA puffing.

General method for cloning amplified DNA by differential screening with genomic probes

Mutant Syrian hamster cell lines resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate, a potent and specific inhibitor of aspartate transcarbamylase, have amplified the gene coding for the multifunctional protein (CAD) that includes this activity. The average amount of DNA amplified is approximately 500 kilobases per gene copy, about 20 times the length of the CAD gene itself. A differential screening method which uses genomic DNAs as probes was developed to isolate recombinant phage containing fragments of amplified DNA. One probe was prepared by reassociating fragments of total genomic DNA from 165-28, a mutant cell line with 190 times the wild-type complement of CAD genes, until all of the sequences repeated about 200 times were annealed and then isolating the double-stranded DNA with hydroxyapatite. This DNA was highly enriched in sequences from the entire amplified region, whereas the same sequences were very rare in DNA prepared similarly from wild-type cells. After both DNAs were labeled by nick translation, highly repeated sequences were removed by hybridization to immobilized total genomic DNA from wild-type cells. A library of cloned DNA fragments from mutant 165-28 was screened with both probes, and nine independent fragments containing about 165 kilobases of amplified DNA, including the CAD gene, have been isolated so far. These cloned DNAs can be used to study the structure of the amplified region, to evaluate the nature of the amplification event, and to investigate gene expression from the amplified DNA. For example, one amplified fragment included a gene coding for a 3.8-kilobase, cytoplasmic, polyadenylated RNA which was overproduced greatly in cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate. The method for cloning amplified DNA is general and can be used to evaluate the possible involvement of gene amplification in phenomena such as drug resistance, transformation, or differentiation. DNA fragments corresponding to any region amplified about 10-fold or more can be cloned, even if no function for the region is known. The method for removing highly repetitive sequences from genomic DNA probes should also be of general use.

Autoradiographic studies of protein and polysaccharide synthesis during vitellogenesis in Drosophila

Quantitative light- and electron-microscopic autoradiography was used to evaluate metabolic processes that occur during late developmental stages (10-14) of oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Major differences in radiolabelling patterns were found after in vivo (10-45 min) uptake of [3H]-monosaccharides and [3H]-L-lysine. Several different methods of data analysis were required to facilitate interpretation of these patterns. [3H]-L-lysine produced extensive cytoplasmic labelling at all developmental stages. In addition, about 15% of alpha yolk spheres were intensely labelled at stage 10, reflecting the incorporation of radiolabelled vitellogenins synthesized during the incubation period. Subsequent stages showed low silver grain density over alpha yolk spheres until stage 14, when a burst of [3H]-L-lysine incorporation by most alpha spheres was observed, possibly indicative of a maturation process for embryogenesis. [3H]-D-glucose and [3H]-D-galactose (10 min, in vivo) both induced intense labelling of the beta yolk spheres in a manner suggesting in situ assembly beginning at early stage 13. Inasmuch as the polysaccharide of beta yolk spheres has the properties of glycogen (e.g., rosette structure digested by alpha-amylase) and the radiolabelled monosaccharides were introduced intra-abdominally, it is evident that transport systems as well as enzymes utilizing glucose and galactose for glycogenesis must be readily available. It is notable that wide-spread labelling of egg chambers was elicited by [3H]-D-glucose and [3H]-D-galactose (e.g., nurse cells, follicle cells, chorion, vitelline membrane), but the labelling induced by [3H]-N-acetylmannosamine was restricted mainly to the endochorion. A possible role of microtubules in distribution and assembly of yolk spheres was inferred when colchicine, admixed to the culture medium (2-5 ppm), produced abnormal distribution and diminution in number of both alpha and beta yolk spheres. In addition to revealing previously unknown metabolic events of vitellogenesis, the results provide additional criteria for stage characterization as well as a means to specifically label certain macromolecules for purposes of isolation.

Single-copy and amplified CAD genes in Syrian hamster chromosomes localized by a highly sensitive method for in situ hybridization

Syrian hamster cells resistant to N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), a specific inhibitor of the aspartate transcarbamylase activity of the multifunctional protein CAD, overproduce this protein as a result of amplification of the CAD gene. We have used a sensitive in situ hybridization technique to localize CAD genomes in spreads of metaphase chromosomes from several independent PALA-resistant lines and from wild-type PALA-sensitive cells. The amplified genes were always found within chromosomes, usually in an expanded region of the short arm of chromosome B9. In wild-type cells, the CAD gene was also on the short arm of chromosome B9. In one mutant line, 90 to 100 CAD genes were found within an expanded B9 chromosome and 10 to 15 more were near the distal end of one arm of several different chromosomes. Another line contained most the genes in a telomeric chromosome or large chromosome fragment. The amplified genes were in chromosomal regions that were stained in a banded pattern by trypsin-Giemsa. A few double minute chromosomes were observed in a very small fraction of the total spreads examined. The it situ hybridizations were performed in the presence of 10% dextral sulfate 500, which increases the signal by as much as 100-fold. Using recombinant DNA plasmids nick-translated with [125I]dCTP to high specific radioactivity, 10 CAD genes in a single chromosomal region were revealed after 1 week of autoradiographic exposure, and the position of the unique gene could be seen after 1 month.

Chemical carcinogenesis -- the price for DNA - repair?

This essay examines the possibility of merging the mutation theory of cancer with the hypothesis that cancer is a change in the state of the differentiation of cells. It is suggested that during normal development DNA rearrangements occur, concerning genes which code for differentiation specific cell communication proteins. These proteins are responsible for the proper functioning of growth control in a multicellular organism. DNA-damaging agents - mutagens - induce DNA repair enzymes, some of which may catalyse illegitimate genome rearrangements, thus leading to a change of the balance between growth and differentiation. A cell with a selective advantage may arise and become the origin of a tumor.

DNA methylation and gene expression: endogenous retroviral genome becomes infectious after molecular cloning

The Mov-3 substrain of mice carries Moloney murine leukemia virus as a Mendelian gene in its germ line. All mice segregating the Mov-3 locus activate virus and develop viremia and leukemia. The integrated provirus (i.e., Mov-3 locus) was molecularly cloned from Mov-3 liver DNA as a 16.8 kilobase long EcoRI fragment. Comparison of the cloned and genomic Mov-3 specific EcoRI fragment by restriction enzyme analysis showed no differences in the size of the fragments, indicating that no major sequence rearrangements occurred during cloning. The genomic and cloned Mov-3 DNAs were compared for methylation and infectivity. Analysis with Hha I showed that the genomic proviral and the flanking mouse sequences were methylated at cytosine residues, in contrast to the cloned Mov-3 locus. The cloned Mov-3 locus, however, was highly infectious in a transfection assay (1 x 10(-3) plaque-forming unit per viral genome) in contrast to the genomic Mov-3 DNA (less than 10(-7) per viral genome). Our results suggest that genes containing 5-methylcytosine are not expressed after transfection into susceptible cells and that removal of the methyl groups by molecular cloning in prokaryotes leads to expression generating infectious proviral DNA. If gene expression of transfected DNA is controlled by mechanisms that are relevant for gene expression in the animal, this suggests that DNA methylation may play a causative role in eukaryotic gene regulation.

A cis-acting regulator of enzyme tissue specificity in Drosophila is expressed at the RNA level

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is expressed according to qualitatively different patterns in Drosophila grimshawi and two closely related species, D. orthofascia and D. formella. This regulatory difference is under control of a cis-acting genetic factor. The ADH of these species is very similar to ADH of D. melanogaster and a genomic ADH clone derived from the latter hybridizes specifically to ADH coding sequences of the other species. Using this hybridization probe, it is shown that the above cis-acting regulator acts before or shortly after transcription to control ADH expression.

Linkage and evolutionary diversification of developmentally regulated multigene families: tandem arrays of the 401/18 chorion gene pair in silkmoths

The coordinately expressed silkmoth chorion genes, 401 and 18, are closely linked as a pair, in divergent orientation. Analysis of overlapping clones (chromosomal "walk") demonstrated that each of the multiple copies of this gene pair is embedded within a larger deoxyribonucleic acid unit, which is tandemly repeated in a few arrays or possibly a single array. Southern analysis and examination of clones from a single individual moth demonstrated that the repeat units are extensively polymorphic in restriction sites, length, and possibly number, no differential amplification was evident during choriogenesis. Intron and 5'-flanking sequences were shown to be specific for the 401/18 gene pair and not to be present elsewhere in the genome. The spatial distribution of variations in the genes and their flanking sequences were examined.

Cellular and molecular aspects of immune system aging

We begin with a brief discussion of the importance and advantages of immune studies to the problem of aging. This is followed by a short over-view of immune system aging at the systemic level. The major portion of the article is a review of observation, both at the cellular and molecular level, of changes in aging immune cells, with sections on intercellular communication, membrane phenomena, cyclic nucleotides, and molecular genetic changes.

On the possibility of metabolic control of replicon "misfiring": relationship to emergence of malignant phenotypes in mammalian cell lineages

Constraints of a multireplicon chromosomal organization and of the necessity to maintain constant gene dosages demand that each origin of replication in a eukaryotic cell "fire" (initiate replication) only once per cell cycle. The central idea of this work is that a low probability of an extra ("illegitimate") round of DNA replication (called below "replicon misfiring") within any given chromosomal domain could be increased by certain substances of either intra- or extracellular origin. The term " "firone" is proposed for such a substance. It is shown that existence of firones could greatly speed up evolution of cellular systems under selection pressure, a developing tumor being one example of such a system. Experimentally testable predictions of the firone hypothesis are discussed.

Increased translatable messenger ribonucleic acid for argininosuccinate synthetase in canavanine-resistant human cells

The level of argininosuccinate synthetase activity in the human tissue culture cell line RPMI 2650 was 6-fold higher when citrulline was substituted for arginine in the culture medium. Canavanine-resistant (Canr) variants were isolated and had enzyme activity up to 25 nmol min-1 (mg of protein)-1 or 180-fold higher than that of the wild-type cells grown in arginine. The differences in enzyme activity were paralleled by differences in the amount of enzyme determined immunologically. The micrograms of enzyme per milligrams of protein, determined by complement fixation, were 0.03 for wild-type cells grown in arginine, 0.29 for wild-type cells grown in citrulline, and 6.73 for a Canr variant. In vivo labeling studies suggested increased synthesis of argininosuccinate synthetase in Canr cells, and in vitro translation of poly(adenylic acid) [poly(A)] messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) from wild-type and Canr cells confirmed a quantitatively compatible increase in translatable poly(A) mRNA for the enzyme in Canr cells. No precursor for the enzyme was recognized by using in vitro translation, and the poly(A) mRNA for the enzyme had a sedimentation value of 16 S by sucrose-gradient analysis. The levels of argininosuccinate synthetase activity in the Canr cells were similar to those found in normal liver.

Inhibition of two homeotic mutants of Drosophila by 5-bromodeoxyuridine and fluorouracil

Nasobemia (Ns) and spineless-aristapedia (ssa40a) are dominant and recessive homeotic mutants of Drosophila which convert parts of the antenna to leg structures. Exposure of Ns and ssa40a larvae to half-lethal concentrations of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) and flourouracil (FU) together or separately during the presumptive time of gene action suppresses the expressivity and penetrance of the mutants.

Constancy of somatic DNA organization in developmentally regulated regions of the Drosophila genome

The purpose of this study was to test for the occurrence of changes in the organization, modification, or selective amplification of six developmentally regulated regions of genomic DNA during Drosophila development. Five of the regions contain structural genes, each of which maps at a single chromosomal site; the sixth region contains a dispersed segment that maps at about 30 different sites and appears to be transposable. The RNA transcripts and encoded proteins of the structural genes are major components of the fat body tissue in late third-instar larvae, in contrast to other larval tissues and young embryos in which the transcripts and proteins are hardly detectable. The dispersed segment shows the reverse developmental regulation: the amount of transcript is relatively high in young embryos and low in larval fat bodies. The test for changes in genomic DNA associated with the regulated expression of the six regions was based on comparative restriction mapping of the DNA from these sources. Genomic clones containing the transcribed and also flanking regions of DNA were used as probes to determine the positions of the complementary restriction fragments after electrophoresis in agarose gels. Each test, which involved digesting the genomic DNA samples with one of the endonucleases and probing with one of the clones, produced identical restriction maps for the different samples. The tests are capable of detecting changes in the organization of the cloned regions resulting from addition or removal either of endonuclease cleavage sites or of segments of DNA located between cleavage sites. Because the activities of several of the endonucleases, and probably all, are sensitive to methylation of one of the bases in the DNA recognition sequence, certain modifications of the cloned regions by methylation could also be detected. Although it is not certain that genomic reorganization or modification would have been detected by these tests, the number of endonucleases used was sufficient to provide persuasive evidence that such changes did not occur. Furthermore, the quantitative as well as qualitative similarities of the restriction maps in each test indicated that there was no significant selective amplification of the DNA within the cloned regions.

A detailed comparison of the 5'-end of the ovalbumin gene cloned from chicken oviduct and erythrocyte DNA

We have examined homologous fragments of DNA cloned from two different tissues for changes in the dNA sequence which might be related to tissue specific gene expression. The 5' end of the chicken ovalbumin gene was cloned from oviduct or erythrocyte DNA DNA using cosmids as vectors. We have compared the two clones obtained by restriction enzyme digestions, analysis of heteroduplexes by electron microscopy or S1 nuclease digestion and by DNA sequencing. Our results show that whereas no alteration occured in the region of the gene assumed to be of importance for the control of transcription, a 4 nucleotide deletion/insertion was detected in the first intron of the ovalbumin gene.

Untranslated mRNA for a chorion protein of Drosophila melanogaster accumulates transiently at the onset of specific gene amplification

In the cytoplasm of follicular cells of female fruitflies, a messenger RNA for one of the chorion proteins accumulates prematurely (i.e, before in vivo synthesis of the protein) but is not associated with polysomes. Subsequently, this mRNA is rapidly degraded and, thus, is not stored for later use. At a later stage in choriogenesis, the same mRNA reappears, accumulates, associates with polysomes, and is translated into a chorion protein. The transient, premature accumulation of the mRNA occurs in concert with the onset of amplification of its specific gene, a finding suggestive of a functional coupling between the two events.