Banded karyotypes of H-4-IIE-C3 rat hepatoma cells grown in vitro

Clonal dynamics of progressive neoplastic transformation

In a recent study, we found that newly isolated clones of NIH 3T3 mouse cells undergo neoplastic transformation more readily than uncloned cultures from which they were derived. After eleven low-density passages (LDPs), most of the 29 clones produced lightly stained early-stage transformed foci when grown to confluence in a primary assay for transformation, and one of them consistently produced a few tiny dense foci. In the present work, six of the clones were kept in LDPs for 56 passages and assayed for focus formation at confluence at six passage levels. The clone that produced tiny dense foci switched to light foci during the LDPs, four others produced light foci at different passage levels, and one progressed from light to dense foci after the last passage. By contrast, all the clones progressed to dense focus formation in five or fewer serial repetitions of the assay at confluence. Because all but one of the clones underwent about half as many total divisions at each LDP as they did when grown to the stationary state at confluence, the latter is more efficient in eliciting progression than the exponential growth of the LDPs. Extension of the period at confluence of uncloned cultures results in the appearance of dense foci within light foci. Because the latter are localized clonal populations, the intrafocal progression reinforces the conclusion that clonal expansion favors transformation. We discuss the significance of these results for the clonal origin of human cancer and the increased incidence of cancer with age.

DNA polymerase alpha from normal rat liver is different than DNA polymerases alpha from Morris hepatoma strains

To investigate whether DNA replication in rat hepatoma cells is altered compared with that in normal rat liver, the main replicative enzyme, i.e. the DNA polymerase alpha complex, was partially purified from a slow-growing (TC5123) and a fast-growing (MH3924) Morris hepatoma cell strain as well as from normal rat liver. The purified DNA polymerase alpha complexes contained RNA primase. DNA polymerase alpha activities of these complexes were characterized with regard to both their molecular properties and their dNTP and DNA binding sites. The latter were probed with competitive inhibitors of dNTP binding, resulting in Ki values, and with DNA templates, yielding Km values. The sedimentation coefficients of native DNA polymerases alpha from Morris hepatoma cells were found to be lower than that of polymerase alpha from normal rat liver. Consequently, when following the procedure of Siegel and Monty for determination of molecular mass considerably smaller molecular masses were calculated for polymerases of hepatoma strains (TC5123, 127 kDa; MH3924, 138 kDa; rat liver, 168 kDa). Similar differences were found when the dNTP binding site was probed with inhibitors. Ki values obtained with butylphenyl-dGTP were higher for polymerases of the hepatoma strains than for that of normal rat liver. However, Ki values measured with aphidicolin and butylanilino-dATP were lower for DNA polymerase alpha from the fast-growing hepatoma cell strain than for that from normal rat liver, indicating a reduced affinity of the dNTP binding sites for dATP and dCTP. This reduced affinity could be responsible for lowered specificity of nucleotide selection in the base-pairing process which in turn may cause an enhanced error rate in DNA replication in malignant cells. Furthermore, when the DNA binding site was characterized by Michaelis-Menten constants using gapped DNA as a template, Km values were similar for all three DNA polymerases. In contrast, the Km value measured with single-stranded DNA as a template was found to be lower for DNA polymerase alpha from the fast-growing hepatoma MH3924 than for that from normal rat liver. Thus, the DNA-polymerizing complex from MH3924 combines both higher binding strength to single-stranded DNA templates and decreased nucleotide selection, properties which may enhance replication velocity and may lower fidelity.

A genetic analysis of extinction: trans-dominant loci regulate expression of liver-specific traits in hepatoma hybrid cells

Extinction is an operational term that refers to the lack of expression of tissue-specific traits that is generally observed in hybrid cells formed by fusing dissimilar cell types. To define the genetic basis of this phenomenon, a series of rat hepatoma x mouse fibroblast hybrids has been isolated and characterized. We report here that the extinction of hepatic marker traits in these clones was strictly correlated with the retention of five particular fibroblast chromosomes (autosomes 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13). In order to dissect this correlation into its component parts, hepatoma microcell hybrids containing single, specific fibroblast chromosomes were constructed. Hepatoma clones retaining only fibroblast chromosome 11 were specifically extinguished for liver-specific tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) expression, while expression of four other hepatic traits and of numerous constitutive markers was unaffected. Furthermore, removal of fibroblast chromosome 11 from the populations by back-selection resulted in reexpression of TAT activity to full parental levels. These data define and localize a genetic locus, tissue-specific extinguisher-1 (Tse-1), which regulates hepatic TAT expression in trans. We also provide evidence that human Tse-1 resides on the homologous chromosome (human chromosome 17), and that hybrids retaining active Tse-1 loci lack TAT-specific mRNA.

Analysis of the Giemsa-banding patterns of the chromosomes from rats carrying the genes of the growth and reproduction complex (GRC)

Morphological studies of metaphase chromosomes were done with rats derived from the BIL/1 strain, which has genes affecting growth and reproduction linked to the major histocompatibility complex by conventional Giemsa-trypsin staining and the results were compared to rat strains not carrying these defects. A subterminal-terminal centromeric polymorphism was detected in chromosome 3 [del 3 (pter leads to cent)] among the strains studied. Comparison of the G-banded karotypes of the rats carrying the defects with the karotypes of the other strains did not reveal any gross chromosomal abnormalities.

Marked increase in ribosomal RNA gene multiplicity in a rat hepatoma cell line

An H4-IIE-C3 hepatoma cell line derived from an ACI rat has been shown to have differentially stained regions attached to the short arms of chromosomes 3, 11 and 13 and the long arm of an unidentified small chromosome. There is cell to cell variability in the number and size of the differentially stained regions, which contain, on the average, about 5% of the total DNA. A series of secondary constrictions occur at intervals along the length of each differentially stained region. These stain with silver by the Ag-AS method, indicating that the differentially stained regions contain sites of active 45S ribosomal precursor RNA transcription. In situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes shows that the hepatoma cells have a 10 fold increase in DNA coding for 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA, 90% of it located in the differentially stained regions, and no change in the number of genes coding for 5S RNA. These results have been confirmed by filter disc hybridization.

Selection of a dexamethasone-resistant H-4-IIE-C3 rat hepatoma tissue-culture line

Exposure of H-4-IIE-C3 rat hepatoma cell cultures to the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, results in an inhibition of cellular proliferation which is not the result of steroid-induced cytolysis. A significant decrease in both the rate of DNA synthesis and DNA content precedes a detectable effect on cell number. Continuous culture of H-IIE-C3 cells in medium containing 10(-5) M dexamethasone results in the selection of a steroid-resistant cell population that has the growth characteristics of unselected sensitive cultures and shows normal steroid induction of tryosine transaminase. Selection is a slow process requiring 24 to 36 months to obtain a phenotypically stable resistant cell line, and can be subdivided into three phases--a sensitive phase, adaptation and resistance. A comparison of the karyotypes of unselected and resistant cultures shows that the selection process enriches for a dexamethasone-resistant subpopulation.

Pentose-utilizing variants of Novikoff hepatoma cells: phenotypic characterization

Forty-three independent variants of the Novikoff hepatoma cell line have been isolated for their ability to use D-xylose, D-ribose, and/or L-arabinose as a sole carbon and energy source. The variants exhibited marked morphological changes and a loss or decrease of cloning efficiency in soft agar. The xylose and arabinose variants showed similar phenotypes while the ribose variants were a phenotypically heterogenous group. Two major classes of variants were found with regard to their specificity for pentoses: one class could grow on ribose, xylose, or arabinose, while the second class grew only on ribose. The lack of specificity for pentose use was correlated with the ability to use pentitols for growth. The frequency of pentose-utilizing clones was 5 X 10(-2) to 10(-3), and nitrosoguanidine treatment increased this frequency tenfold. Fluctuation analyses showed the appearance of pentose-utilizing variants to be a random event. Of the variants examined, 84% expressed a stable pentose phenotype, and of those, 6% were cold sensitive and 8% were temperature sensitive for pentose utilization. In addition to the suggested mutational basis for the pentose phenotype, two variants showed a large increase in chromosome number from 73 +/- 3 to 132 +/- 10.

Synthesis and secretion of albumin by a synchronized rat hepatoma cell line

The rat hepatoma cell H4-12 which synthesizes and secretes albumin was synchronized by growth in isoleucine-deficient medium followed by a second block with excess thymidine. Albumin synthesis and secretion was measured in the synchronized cells at different time intervals representative of early S, late S, G2, mitosis, early G1 and late G1 phases of the cell cycle. Maximal albumin synthesis occurred during G1 although significant synthesis also occurred during the other cell cyle phases. Most (75--80%) of the radioactive albumin produced during a 15 min pulse incubation with L-[4,5-3H] leucine was found in the microsomal cell fraction and this nascent albumin was secreted into the incubation medium during a 160 min chase period. Fifty percent of the nascent albumin was secreted by 50--55 min and this pattern of secretion did not change during the cell cycle. These data indicate that albumin synthesis occurs throughout the cell cycle but that it is preferred during G1. The rate of intracellular transport and secretion of albumin does not vary during the different phase of the cell cycle.