Generation and chracterization of variants of mouse hepatoma cells with defects in hepato-specific gene expression. I. Albumin synthesis variants

The subset of mouse B1 (Alu-equivalent) sequences expressed as small processed cytoplasmic transcripts

B1 (Alu-equivalent) is a murine short interspersed element whose amplification probably involved an RNA intermediate. B1-homologous RNA comprise a population of heterogenous transcripts of questionable function. A cloned B1 is expressed in the injected frog oocyte by RNA polymerase III transcription, ribonucleoprotein formation, post-transcriptional 3'-processing, and nucleocytoplasmic transport. The present study characterizes small cytoplasmic B1 transcripts of mouse cells. Analyses of ten cDNA clones revealed a subset of a high degree of sequence identity (98%) from which a novel consensus was developed. Structural analyses of these RNAs demonstrated a conserved Alu domain originally identified as part of the 7SL RNA within the translational control domain of the signal recognition particle, while this structure was not conserved in the majority of B1s in the sequence database. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that 3'-processing occurred in only a subset of B1 transcripts in-vitro using homologous nuclear extracts, and in the injected oocyte. The data demonstrate that a limited set of B1 sequences are expressed as processed RNA polymerase III-transcripts of a high degree of structural conservation. Although this subset is transcriptionally active, the selective expression may be due to regulation at the levels of processing and cytoplasmic accumulation. Their lack of Poly-(A) or 3'-oligo-(U) tracts argue that these RNAs are unlikely to represent transposition intermediates. Rather, their cytosolic compartmentalization and conservation of a biologically recognized structure, suggests potential involvement in other aspects of cellular metabolism.

Retroviral gene transfer into primary hepatocytes: implications for genetic therapy of liver-specific functions

The liver is an important target for potential gene therapy because of the critical role it plays in intermediary metabolism and synthesis of serum proteins. We report the use of retroviral vectors for transfer of recombinant genes into primary mouse hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were grown in a defined serum-free medium and expressed liver-specific functions for up to 14 days. Hepatocytes were transformed to Genticin (G418) resistance by infection with recombinant retroviruses carrying the Tn5 neomycin-resistance gene. The G418-resistant cells exhibited characteristic hepatocyte morphology and continued to express liver-specific gene function. A retrovirus that expresses neomycin resistance driven by a herpes simplex thymidine kinase promoter produced the most efficient transformation compared with viruses using the retroviral long terminal repeat promoter or the simian virus 40 early-region promoter. These experiments indicate that primary hepatocytes can be successfully cultured and transformed with recombinant genes using retroviral vectors. These results provide a model for future somatic gene replacement therapy in which functional genes can be introduced into hepatocytes by viral-mediated gene transfer.

Selection for phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in cells transformed with recombinant retroviruses

Cells deficient in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) are tyrosine auxotrophs and will not survive in tyrosine-free media. PAH activity can be constituted in cultured cells by infection with recombinant retroviruses carrying a human PAH cDNA. Mouse hepatoma cells transformed with recombinant PAH will grow in tyrosine-free media since these cells constitutively synthesize the cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin which is essential for PAH activity. NIH3T3 cells transformed with the PAH cDNA express the PAH apoenzyme, but this enzyme is inactive in vivo since these cells do not synthesize biopterin. We describe a method of selection for PAH in the fibroblast-like NIH3T3 cells involving tyrosine-free media supplemented with biopterin, reducing agents, and antioxidants. Cells transformed with the recombinant PAH gene exhibit PAH activity in culture and will grow in the biopterin-supplemented tyrosine-free media. Metabolic selection for PAH activity provides a new selectable marker for gene transfer experiments. This method is shown to be useful in the production of high titers of recombinant retroviruses carrying PAH and provides a model for experiments in somatic gene therapy of phenylketonuria.

Activation of a nonexpressed hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase allele in mutant H23 HeLa cells by agents that inhibit DNA methylation

HeLA H23 cells are a mutant female human tumor cell line harboring defective hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT; IMP-pyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.8) as a result of a mutation that alters the isoelectric point of the enzyme (G. Milman, E. Lee, G. S. Changas, J. R. McLaughlin, and J. George, Jr., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73:4589-4592, 1976). As shown by Milman et al. and confirmed by us here, rare HAT+ revertants arise spontaneously at 1.9 X 10(-8) frequency and express both mutant and wild-type polypeptides. Thus, the H23 mutant also carries a silent wild-type HPRT allele that is activated in revertants. To test whether the silent allele was activated via hypomethylation of genomic DNA, H23 cells were treated with inhibitors of DNA methylation, and revertants were scored by HAT or azaserine selection. At an optimal dose of 5 microM 5-azacytidine, the reversion frequency was increased about 50-fold when assayed by HAT selection and over 1,000-fold when assayed by azaserine selection. HAT+ and azaserine revertants were heterozygous for HPRT, expressing both wild-type and mutant HPRT polypeptides. Like spontaneous revertants, they contained active HPRT enzyme and were genetically unstable, reverting at about 10(-4) frequency. Similar results were found after treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, a DNA-alkylating agent and potent inhibitor of mammalian DNA methylation. By contrast, the DNA-ethylating agent, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), did not increase the HAT+ reversion frequency; it did, however, increase the frequency by which H23 revertants heterozygous for HPRT reverted to 6-thioguanine resistance. Of nine EMS revertants, seven lacked HPRT activity and had a substantially reduced expression of the wild-type polypeptide. These observations support the hypothesis that DNA methylation plays an important role in human X-chromosome inactivation and that EMS can inactivate gene expression by promoting enzymatic methylation of genomic DNA as found previously for the prolactin gene in GH3 rat pituitary tumor cells (R. D. Ivarie and J. A. Morris, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79:2967-2970, 1982; R. D. Ivarie, J. A. Morris, and J. A. Martial, Mol. Cell. Biol. 2:179-189, 1982).

Retroviral-mediated gene transfer of human phenylalanine hydroxylase into NIH 3T3 and hepatoma cells

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by deficiency of the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). A full-length human PAH cDNA sequence has been inserted into pzip-neoSV(X), which is a retroviral vector containing the bacterial neo gene. The recombinant has been transfected into psi 2 cells, which provide synthesis of the retroviral capsid. Recombinant virus was detected in the culture medium of the transfected psi 2 cells, which is capable of transmitting the human PAH gene into mouse NIH 3T3 cells by infection leading to stable incorporation of the recombinant provirus. Infected cells express PAH mRNA, immunoreactive PAH protein, and exhibit pterin-dependent phenylalanine hydroxylase activity. The recombinant virus is also capable of infecting a mouse hepatoma cell line that does not normally synthesize PAH. PAH activity is present in the cellular extracts and the entire hydroxylation system is reconstituted in the hepatoma cells infected with the recombinant viruses. Thus, recombinant viruses containing human PAH cDNA provide a means for introducing functional PAH into mammalian cells of hepatic origin and can potentially be introduced into whole animals as a model for somatic gene therapy for PKU.

Activation of a nonexpressed hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase allele in mutant H23 HeLa cells by agents that inhibit DNA methylation

HeLA H23 cells are a mutant female human tumor cell line harboring defective hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT; IMP-pyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.8) as a result of a mutation that alters the isoelectric point of the enzyme (G. Milman, E. Lee, G. S. Changas, J. R. McLaughlin, and J. George, Jr., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73:4589-4592, 1976). As shown by Milman et al. and confirmed by us here, rare HAT+ revertants arise spontaneously at 1.9 X 10(-8) frequency and express both mutant and wild-type polypeptides. Thus, the H23 mutant also carries a silent wild-type HPRT allele that is activated in revertants. To test whether the silent allele was activated via hypomethylation of genomic DNA, H23 cells were treated with inhibitors of DNA methylation, and revertants were scored by HAT or azaserine selection. At an optimal dose of 5 microM 5-azacytidine, the reversion frequency was increased about 50-fold when assayed by HAT selection and over 1,000-fold when assayed by azaserine selection. HAT+ and azaserine revertants were heterozygous for HPRT, expressing both wild-type and mutant HPRT polypeptides. Like spontaneous revertants, they contained active HPRT enzyme and were genetically unstable, reverting at about 10(-4) frequency. Similar results were found after treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, a DNA-alkylating agent and potent inhibitor of mammalian DNA methylation. By contrast, the DNA-ethylating agent, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), did not increase the HAT+ reversion frequency; it did, however, increase the frequency by which H23 revertants heterozygous for HPRT reverted to 6-thioguanine resistance. Of nine EMS revertants, seven lacked HPRT activity and had a substantially reduced expression of the wild-type polypeptide. These observations support the hypothesis that DNA methylation plays an important role in human X-chromosome inactivation and that EMS can inactivate gene expression by promoting enzymatic methylation of genomic DNA as found previously for the prolactin gene in GH3 rat pituitary tumor cells (R. D. Ivarie and J. A. Morris, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79:2967-2970, 1982; R. D. Ivarie, J. A. Morris, and J. A. Martial, Mol. Cell. Biol. 2:179-189, 1982).

Transfection by genomic DNA of cytochrome P1-450 enzymatic activity and inducibility

An aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH)-deficient gene A- mutant of the mouse line Hepa-1 was treated with calcium phosphate precipitates of DNA from Hepa-1, the rat line H4IIEC3, or an A- -human hybrid in which the A- mutation is complemented by the corresponding human gene. AHH+ transfectants were isolated by selection with benzo[ghi]perylene plus near UV. In addition, a gene A- mutant which also carries a mutation for hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency was treated with the above genomic DNAs together with pSV2-gpt DNA, and cotransfectants were isolated after treatment with both benzo[ghi]pereylene and HAT. All transfectants and cotransfectants were inducible for AHH by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Both transfectants and cotransfectants were unstable during culture, rapidly losing AHH activity. Rat DNA-derived transfectants were probed in Southern blots with a cDNA probe to mouse cytochrome P1-450 that cross-hybridizes to the corresponding rat gene. All rat DNA-derived transfectants contained the rat P1-450 gene. In half of the transfectants, the rat gene was amplified four- to sevenfold. In one transfectant, the rat gene was truncated at the 3' end. The proportion of rat DNA in different transfectants, as determined by hybridization to a rat repetitive sequence, ranged from less than 1% to 5%. AHH activity and the rat P1-450 gene segregated together in subclones of one of the transfectants. These results demonstrate that the A gene is either the structural gene for cytochrome P1-450, or another very closely linked gene. Previous results (O. Hankinson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 260:1790-1795, 1985) favor the former alternative.

Direct assignment of orosomucoid to human chromosome 9 and alpha 2HS-glycoprotein to chromosome 3 using human fetal liver x rat hepatoma hybrids

The production of plasma proteins has been monitored in somatic cell hybrids between a rat hepatoma cell line (7777) and human fetal liver cells. Production of 14 plasma proteins was assayed in concentrated serum-free culture supernatants by electroimmunoassay. Alpha 2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) was produced by 10 of 19 hybrids; concordancy for presence or absence of protein production was 100% for human chromosome 3. Orosomucoid (ORM) was produced in 8 of 19 hybrids, with a concordancy for presence or absence of protein of 94.7% with human chromosome 9. The chromosome location for genes for these two proteins, previously assigned by linkage studies, is confirmed by direct assignment. These studies have also suggested possible chromosomal assignments for loci for alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and C1 esterase inhibitor. Other genes for proteins which could not be assigned to specific chromosomes using these hybrids were: complement C3, ceruloplasmin, hemopexin, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor, prealbumin, retinol-binding protein, transferrin and apolipoproteins CII, B, and sinking-pre-beta [Lp(a)].

Transfection by genomic DNA of cytochrome P1-450 enzymatic activity and inducibility

An aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH)-deficient gene A- mutant of the mouse line Hepa-1 was treated with calcium phosphate precipitates of DNA from Hepa-1, the rat line H4IIEC3, or an A- -human hybrid in which the A- mutation is complemented by the corresponding human gene. AHH+ transfectants were isolated by selection with benzo[ghi]perylene plus near UV. In addition, a gene A- mutant which also carries a mutation for hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency was treated with the above genomic DNAs together with pSV2-gpt DNA, and cotransfectants were isolated after treatment with both benzo[ghi]pereylene and HAT. All transfectants and cotransfectants were inducible for AHH by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Both transfectants and cotransfectants were unstable during culture, rapidly losing AHH activity. Rat DNA-derived transfectants were probed in Southern blots with a cDNA probe to mouse cytochrome P1-450 that cross-hybridizes to the corresponding rat gene. All rat DNA-derived transfectants contained the rat P1-450 gene. In half of the transfectants, the rat gene was amplified four- to sevenfold. In one transfectant, the rat gene was truncated at the 3' end. The proportion of rat DNA in different transfectants, as determined by hybridization to a rat repetitive sequence, ranged from less than 1% to 5%. AHH activity and the rat P1-450 gene segregated together in subclones of one of the transfectants. These results demonstrate that the A gene is either the structural gene for cytochrome P1-450, or another very closely linked gene. Previous results (O. Hankinson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 260:1790-1795, 1985) favor the former alternative.

Ethylation of poly(dC-dG).poly(dC-dG) by ethyl methanesulfonate stimulates the activity of mammalian DNA methyltransferase in vitro

Ethylation of poly(dC-dG).poly(dC-dG) with ethyl methanesulfonate (EtMes), a known carcinogen, at increasing molar ratios of EtMes/C X G base pairs progressively stimulated the methyl-accepting ability of the DNA during in vitro methylation by partially purified rat DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.37). Maximum stimulation was 2-fold over mock-treated DNA when 2.7% of the guanines were modified at the N-7 position, the major site of ethylation by EtMes in DNA. If a CpG site "hemiethylated" at guanine N-7 mimics a hemimethylated CpG site, we calculate that the enzyme has a relative affinity for hemiethylated CpG 18-fold above unmodified CpG. If ethylation of a dioxyphosphate oxygen of the phosphodiester bond is responsible for stimulation, the relative affinity could be much higher, up to 370-fold.

The defects in all classes of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase-deficient mutant of mouse hepatoma line, Hepa-1, are restricted to activities catalyzed by cytochrome P-450

The extent of phenotypic derangement was investigated in representative aryl hydroxylase-deficient mutants of Hepa-1. One mutant is dominant while the others are recessive and are mutated in 3 different genes. All the mutants lacked ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity as well as aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase. However all had normal activities of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, epoxide hydrolase and ornithine decarboxylase. They also retained 2 liver-specific functions possessed by the parental line, namely albumin secretion and transferrin secretion. The phenotypic alterations in the mutants were therefore restricted to the cytochrome P-450 activities measured.

Activation of human alpha 1-antitrypsin gene in rat hepatoma x human fetal liver cell hybrids depends on presence of human chromosome 14

In order to study the involvement of human chromosomes in the expression of liver-specific functions, we have produced somatic cell hybrids between a rat hepatoma (7777) cell line and human diploid skin fibroblasts (series XIX) or human fetal liver cells (series XXII). Production of human serum proteins was detected by immunoelectrophoretic analyses of concentrated serum-free hybrid culture supernatants. Human alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) was secreted by a subset of hybrids but not by the parental cells. The activated human AAT phenotype segregated concordantly with human chromosome 14 in 18 primarily HAT-selected and five azaguanine back-selected series XXII hybrids. All other chromosomes were excluded as playing a role in AAT expression. Therefore, the AAT gene (PI) is assigned to chromosome 14. This quasi-constitutive expression of a liver-specific function was not observed for the other serum proteins studied, nor was it seen in the skin fibroblast-derived hybrids (series XIX) although AAT was produced by some of them.