Isolation and characterization of intraspecific cybrids. Effect of mitochondrial DNA on their cellular properties

Repopulation of rho0 cells with mitochondria from a patient with a mitochondrial DNA point mutation in tRNA(Gly) results in respiratory chain dysfunction

Familial hypertrophic ventricular cardiomyopathy has been demonstrated to be associated with a number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. A fibroblast cell line carrying a mutation in its mtDNA at position 9997 in the gene encoding tRNA glycine was obtained from a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. To demonstrate that the etiology of this disease was a result of the mtDNA mutation, cybrid clones were constructed by fusion of enucleated patient skin fibroblasts to rho0 osteosarcoma cells. Clones carrying high levels of mutant mtDNA showed predominantly cytochrome c oxidase and complex I deficiency, as well as an elevated lactate/pyruvate (L/P) ratio, a biochemical marker characteristic of respiratory chain deficiencies. Pulse-labeling experiments demonstrated a strong negative correlation between the levels of newly synthesized mtDNA-encoded polypeptides and glycine content. These data suggest that the T9997C mutation in mtDNA is causative of respiratory chain dysfunction when present at high levels of heteroplasmy.

Environmentally induced differential amplification of mitochondrial populations

Resistance to the drug rutamycin, an inhibitor of mitochondrial ATPase, has been shown to be cytoplasmically inherited in a mouse fibroblast line (TL) on fusion of the cytoplast (enTL) with a nucleated recipient A9 [Lichtor & Getz (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 324-328]. The cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) so formed may be readily grown in the presence [CY(+)] or absence [CY(-)] of rutamycin. The ATPase of TL mitochondria is similarly resistant to rutamycin whether grown in the presence or absence of antibiotic. The ATPase of CY(+) mitochondria is resistant to rutamycin, but CY(-) mitochondrial ATPase is sensitive to rutamycin. Nevertheless, CY(-) can be readily grown in rutamycin after a brief lag. The pH optima of mitochondrial ATPase are 8.0 for A9 and CY(-) cells and 7.5 for TL cells, whereas the pH optimum for CY(+) spans the optima of A9 and TL. The TL mitochondrial NADH-cytochrome c reductase is resistant to rotenone, whereas that of A9 mitochondria is sensitive to this agent. CY(-) and CY(+) mitochondria are sensitive and resistant respectively to rotenone. Growth of cybrids in rutamycin for 2 weeks results in a 2-3-fold increase in mitochondrial mass, measured on the basis of electron microscopic morphometry, mitochondrial membrane enzyme assays, mass of cardiolipin, and quantification of mitochondrial DNA. These data suggest that the cybrid harbours two populations of mitochondria and that the proportions of the two populations dramatically influence morphology, growth and mitochondrial phenotype in the cybrid. Selective pressure appears to induce these changes through the differential amplification of mitochondria.

Cytoplasmic mediation of malignancy

The relative roles of nucleus and cytoplasm in the induction and maintenance of the malignant state were studied. Cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) clones, derived from the fusion of cytoplasts from malignantly transformed cells to normal whole cells, produced tumors in 17% of the animals injected with them. Nuclear/cytoplasmic hybrid (reconstituted cell) clones, derived by fusion of cytoplasts from malignant cells with karyoplasts of normal cells, produced tumors in 97% of the animals injected. A unique aspect of this study is the fact that all of the cells utilized, both normal and malignantly transformed, were derived from an original cloned cell.

Mitochondrial genomes in intraspecies mammalian cell hybrids display codominant or dominant/recessive behavior

A unique type of nonstochastic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) segregation was found in mammalian cells. In human cell hybrids isolated from the fusion of HeLa cells with 23, GM639, A549, or 293 cells, HeLa mtDNA was always lost from the hybrids, whereas both parental mtDNAs were maintained in hybrids of HeLa X 143BTK-. Similar phenomena were observed in mouse cell hybrids isolated by the fusion of cells with different mtDNA types. Types 1, 2, and 3, can be distinguished from each other by restriction fragment-length polymorphisms. The mouse cell hybrids between cells with type 1 and type 2 mtDNA always lost type 2 mtDNA, whereas the hybrids between cells with type 2 and type 3 mtDNA retained both types stably. These observations suggest that either a codominant or a dominant/recessive relationship may be present in intraspecies mitochondrial genomes of human and mouse cells. When the mitochondrial genomes in cell hybrids are codominant, stochastic segregation occurs while nonstochastic segregation occurs when they are in the dominant/recessive relationship. These concepts may help elucidate organelle heredity in animals.

Cytoplasmic suppression of malignancy

Using both normal and transformed rat liver epithelial cells to prepare cytoplasmic hybrids (cybrids) we have found evidence to support the theory that the cytoplasm from a normal cell can suppress tumorigenicity. A unique aspect of this study is that all of the cells utilized, both normal and malignantly transformed, were derived from an original cloned cell. We found that fusing cytoplasts from normal cells to malignantly transformed whole cells resulted in cybrid clones which, when injected into newborn rat pups, isogenic with those from which the cell culture was initiated, yielded tumors in 51% of the animals injected compared to 92% of the animals injected with the tumorigenic parent. Those animals that did develop tumors from the cybrid cells survived longer than those injected with cells from the tumorigenic parent. Thus, the cybrid, formed of cytoplasm from both parents, was less tumorigenic than the malignantly transformed parent cell. When reconstituted cells were prepared by fusing cytoplasts from normal cells with karyoplasts from malignantly transformed cells, a situation in which essentially all of the cytoplasm of the reconstituted cell is derived from normal cells, the tumorigenic phenotype was extinguished.

Absence of extensive recombination between inter- and intraspecies mitochondrial DNA in mammalian cells

Recombination of mammalian mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was examined using mouse X rat somatic cell hybrid clones and rat cybrid clones. The mouse X rat hybrids were isolated by fusion of chloramphenicol-sensitive (CAPs) mouse and CAP-resistant (CAPr) rat cells. The rat cybrids were isolated by fusion of rat cells with type B mtDNA and enucleated cells with type A mtDNA. Genetic and physical analyses showed that the mtDNAs of the hybrids and cybrids were simple mixtures of the two parental mtDNAs except in the following two cases: One was subclone H2-9 of mouse X rat hybrids, which was CAPr even though mtDNA from the CAPs mouse parent was predominantly retained. The other was rat cybrid subclones, Y12-24 and -61, which showed specific loss of one Hinf I fragment of type B mtDNA, B10. These observations suggest that, in contrast to the case with plant mtDNA, recombination of mammalian mtDNA occurs rarely, if at all.