scholarly journals Differential activation of the hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome in primary and transformed Chinese hamster cells.

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1635-1641 ◽  
Author(s):  
S G Grant ◽  
R G Worton
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Fibroblast Cell ◽  
Dna Demethylation ◽  
Hprt Gene ◽  
Primary Fibroblast ◽  
Chinese Hamster Cells ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome

We have investigated the genetic activation of the hprt (hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase) gene located on the inactive X chromosome in primary and transformed female diploid Chinese hamster cells after treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5azaCR). Mutants deficient in HPRT were first selected by growth in 6-thioguanine from two primary fibroblast cell lines and from transformed lines derived from them. These HPRT- mutants were then treated with 5azaCR and plated in HAT (hypoxanthine-methotrexate-thymidine) medium to select for cells that had reexpressed the hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome. Contrary to previous results with primary human cells, 5azaCR was effective in activating the hprt gene in primary Chinese hamster fibroblasts at a low but reproducible frequency of 2 x 10(-6) to 7 x 10(-6). In comparison, the frequency in independently derived transformed lines varied from 1 x 10(-5) to 5 x 10(-3), consistently higher than in the nontransformed cells. This increase remained significant when the difference in growth rates between the primary and transformed lines was taken into account. Treatment with 5azaCR was also found to induce transformation in the primary cell lines but at a low frequency of 4 x 10(-7) to 8 x 10(-7), inconsistent with a two-step model of transformation followed by gene activation to explain the derepression of hprt in primary cells. Thus, these results indicate that upon transformation, the hprt gene on the inactive Chinese hamster X chromosome is rendered more susceptible to action by 5azaCR, consistent with a generalized DNA demethylation associated with the transformation event or with an increase in the instability of an underlying primary mechanism of X inactivation.

Differential activation of the hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome in primary and transformed Chinese hamster cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1635-1641
Author(s):  
S G Grant ◽  
R G Worton
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Fibroblast Cell ◽  
Dna Demethylation ◽  
Hprt Gene ◽  
Primary Fibroblast ◽  
Chinese Hamster Cells ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome

We have investigated the genetic activation of the hprt (hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase) gene located on the inactive X chromosome in primary and transformed female diploid Chinese hamster cells after treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5azaCR). Mutants deficient in HPRT were first selected by growth in 6-thioguanine from two primary fibroblast cell lines and from transformed lines derived from them. These HPRT- mutants were then treated with 5azaCR and plated in HAT (hypoxanthine-methotrexate-thymidine) medium to select for cells that had reexpressed the hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome. Contrary to previous results with primary human cells, 5azaCR was effective in activating the hprt gene in primary Chinese hamster fibroblasts at a low but reproducible frequency of 2 x 10(-6) to 7 x 10(-6). In comparison, the frequency in independently derived transformed lines varied from 1 x 10(-5) to 5 x 10(-3), consistently higher than in the nontransformed cells. This increase remained significant when the difference in growth rates between the primary and transformed lines was taken into account. Treatment with 5azaCR was also found to induce transformation in the primary cell lines but at a low frequency of 4 x 10(-7) to 8 x 10(-7), inconsistent with a two-step model of transformation followed by gene activation to explain the derepression of hprt in primary cells. Thus, these results indicate that upon transformation, the hprt gene on the inactive Chinese hamster X chromosome is rendered more susceptible to action by 5azaCR, consistent with a generalized DNA demethylation associated with the transformation event or with an increase in the instability of an underlying primary mechanism of X inactivation.

scholarly journals Activation of the hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome in transformed diploid female Chinese hamster cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-732
Author(s):  
S.G. Grant ◽  
R.G. Worton
Keyword(s):  
Cell Line ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Dna Demethylation ◽  
Hprt Gene ◽  
Similar Treatment ◽  
Chinese Hamster Cells ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome ◽  
Diploid Female ◽  
Phenotypic Reversion

Treatment with 5-azacytidine, a potent inhibitor of DNA methylation, was used to induce activation of the selectable hprt gene on the inactive X chromosome in a diploid female Chinese hamster cell line. The transformed, stably diploid cell line F3B was selected in media containing the lethal purine analogue 6-thioguanine, to generate a phenotypically HPRT- mutant, F3BT1, of presumed genotype hprt-/hprt(+), where (+) represents the presumably wild-type allele on the inactive X chromosome. Treatment of F3BT1 with 5-azacytidine resulted in phenotypic reversion to HPRT+ at a frequency greater than 10(−3). Similar treatment of 6-thioguanine-resistant control lines derived from male cells, or from CHO (which has no inactive X chromosome), had no effect on the frequency of phenotypic reversion, indicating that activation of the hprt(+) allele, rather than reversion of the hprt- is responsible. This conclusion is substantiated by documentation of the low mutagenic capacity of 5-azacytidine in this system. Proof that the hprt(+) allele can be activated by 5-azacytidine treatment was obtained in somatic cell hybrids in which hprt gene products from the active and inactive X chromosomes could be distinguished by isoelectric focusing. Our results demonstrate that X-linked gene activation associated with generalized DNA demethylation occurs with high frequency in transformed diploid Chinese hamster cells.

CpG island promoter region methylation patterns of the inactive-X-chromosome hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 7975-7983
Author(s):  
J G Park ◽  
V M Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase ◽  
Hprt Gene ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome ◽  
Methylation Patterns

Inactive-X-chromosome genes in mammalian females have methylated CpG islands. We have questioned whether there are variable levels of cytosine methylation at different CpG sites within the island that might indicate the presence of primary sites of methylation which may be critical for the maintenance of gene repression and candidate sites for the initiation of inactivation. To address these questions, we have analyzed the methylation patterns of 32 CpG sites of the X-linked hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene on the active and inactive X chromosomes of mouse tissues and cell lines, using genomic sequencing of bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. Cytosine is deaminated by bisulfite, but methylcytosine is not affected. Cell lines that were heterozygous for the Hprt deletion mutation (Hprtb-m3) and a functional Hprt allele were selected with 6-thioguanine. The resulting cell populations uniformly carry the intact Hprt allele on the inactive X chromosome. The methylation of these CpG sites was determined either by the direct sequence analysis of bisulfite-treated and amplified DNA or by the sequence analysis of clones derived from the amplified DNA. No CpG methylation was detected on the active Hprt genes from either males or the active X chromosome of females. On average, 22 CpGs were methylated in the other 50% of female DNA, and the level of methylation at individual sites varied from 42 to 100%. Analysis of the inactive Hprt gene in two cell lines showed that averages of 14 and 18 CpGs were methylated and that the frequency of methylation at 32 individual sites ranged from 3 to 100%. The highest frequency of methylation in cell lines coincided with the sequences flanking transcription initiation sites. These results suggest that methylation patterns are heterogeneous within a tissue and even in clonal cell populations and that specific subsets of CpG sites sustain high methylation frequencies which may be critical for the maintenance of X-chromosome inactivation. The bisulfite method identified which CpG sites were methylated on the inactive X chromosome, and it provided a quantitative estimate of the frequency of methylation of these sites in genomic DNA.

scholarly journals CpG island promoter region methylation patterns of the inactive-X-chromosome hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 7975-7983 ◽  
Author(s):  
J G Park ◽  
V M Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase ◽  
Hprt Gene ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome ◽  
Methylation Patterns

Inactive-X-chromosome genes in mammalian females have methylated CpG islands. We have questioned whether there are variable levels of cytosine methylation at different CpG sites within the island that might indicate the presence of primary sites of methylation which may be critical for the maintenance of gene repression and candidate sites for the initiation of inactivation. To address these questions, we have analyzed the methylation patterns of 32 CpG sites of the X-linked hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene on the active and inactive X chromosomes of mouse tissues and cell lines, using genomic sequencing of bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. Cytosine is deaminated by bisulfite, but methylcytosine is not affected. Cell lines that were heterozygous for the Hprt deletion mutation (Hprtb-m3) and a functional Hprt allele were selected with 6-thioguanine. The resulting cell populations uniformly carry the intact Hprt allele on the inactive X chromosome. The methylation of these CpG sites was determined either by the direct sequence analysis of bisulfite-treated and amplified DNA or by the sequence analysis of clones derived from the amplified DNA. No CpG methylation was detected on the active Hprt genes from either males or the active X chromosome of females. On average, 22 CpGs were methylated in the other 50% of female DNA, and the level of methylation at individual sites varied from 42 to 100%. Analysis of the inactive Hprt gene in two cell lines showed that averages of 14 and 18 CpGs were methylated and that the frequency of methylation at 32 individual sites ranged from 3 to 100%. The highest frequency of methylation in cell lines coincided with the sequences flanking transcription initiation sites. These results suggest that methylation patterns are heterogeneous within a tissue and even in clonal cell populations and that specific subsets of CpG sites sustain high methylation frequencies which may be critical for the maintenance of X-chromosome inactivation. The bisulfite method identified which CpG sites were methylated on the inactive X chromosome, and it provided a quantitative estimate of the frequency of methylation of these sites in genomic DNA.

Similar 150-kilobase DNA sequences are amplified in independently derived methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cells

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-627
Author(s):  
M Montoya-Zavala ◽  
J L Hamlin
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Dihydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Ovary Cell ◽  
Chinese Hamster Cells ◽  
Reductase Gene ◽  
Reductase Domain

We have isolated overlapping recombinant cosmids that represent 150 kilobases of contiguous DNA sequence from the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain of a methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHOC 400). This sequence includes the 25-kilobase dihydrofolate reductase gene and an origin of DNA synthesis. Eight cosmids that span this domain have been utilized as radioactive hybridization probes to analyze the similarities among the dihydrofolate reductase amplicons in four independently derived methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell lines. We have observed no significant differences among the four cell lines within the 150-kilobase DNA sequence that we have examined, except for polymorphisms that result from the amplification of one or the other of two possible alleles of the dihydrofolate reductase domain. We also show that the restriction patterns of the amplicons in these four resistant cell lines are virtually identical to that of the corresponding, unamplified sequence in drug-susceptible parental cells. Furthermore, measurements of the relative copy numbers of fragments from widely separated regions of the amplicon suggest that all fragments in this 150-kilobase region may be amplified in unison. Our data show that in methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cells, the amplified unit is large relative to the dihydrofolate reductase gene itself. Furthermore, within the 150-kilobase amplified consensus sequence that we have examined, significant rearrangements do not seem to occur during the amplification process.

Demethylation of specific sites in the 5' region of the inactive X-linked human phosphoglycerate kinase gene correlates with the appearance of nuclease sensitivity and gene expression

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 4692-4699
Author(s):  
R S Hansen ◽  
N A Ellis ◽  
S M Gartler
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Hybrid Cell ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Phosphoglycerate Kinase ◽  
Kinase Gene ◽  
Inactive X Chromosome ◽  
Phosphoglycerate Kinase Gene ◽  
Hypoxanthine Guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase

X8/6T2, a hamster-human hybrid cell line which contains an inactive human X chromosome, was treated with 5-azacytidine and selected for derepression of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. Clones were examined for coreactivation of the phosphoglycerate kinase gene (Pgk). Of 68 of these hybrids, approximately 20% expressed measurable human phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) activity. A 600-base-pair region of the Pgk 5' CpG cluster was examined for the methylation status of eight CCGG sites (site 1 being 5'-most) in a number of PGK-negative and PGK-positive cell lines. The inactive X chromosome is normally methylated at all eight sites, and this was also true for the majority of X8/6T2 cells. However, several PGK-negative hybrids were demethylated in the site 3 to site 6 region. PGK activity correlated with demethylation at both sites 6 and 7. The data for PGK-positive and -negative hybrids indicate that demethylation at or near site 7 was necessary for reactivation of Pgk. Chromatin sensitivity to MspI digestion in the nuclei of male lymphoblastoid cells and several PGK-positive and PGK-negative hybrids was examined. PGK-positive cell lines were hypersensitive to digestion, while PGK-negative hybrids were resistant. Cleavage at sites 6 and 7 was observed in all PGK-positive cell lines at each MspI concentration examined. Sites 7 and 8 were less accessible to digestion than site 6. Cleavage in the site 2 to site 5 region was observable at the lowest MspI concentration. In most PGK-positive hybrids, a nonspecific endogenous nuclease detected the presence of a hypersensitive region spanning at least 450 base pairs, bounded at the 3' end near HpaII site 6. Nuclease hypersensitivity appears to be related to promoter activity, because sites 7 and 8 are in transcribed regions of the gene. These data indicate that specific sites within the CpG cluster have a dominant controlling influence over the Pgk promoter conformation and the transcriptional activation of Pgk.

Assessment of Persisting Chromosome Aberrations by Flow Karyotyping of Cloned Chinese Hamster Cells

1988 ◽  
Vol 43 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 948-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich J. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Chromosomal Aberrations ◽  
Chromosome Aberrations ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Chinese Hamster Cells ◽  
Cell Clones ◽  
Permanent Cell

Abstract A preparation, staining and measuring protocol for high resolution flow cytometry of chromosomes was developed. This method allows us to identify all chromosome types and is suited for characterization of permanent cell lines and cell clones by establishing their flow karyotypes. In cell clones this procedure can be used for the detection of chromosomal aberrations which appear spontaneously or are induced by mutagen treatment and persist in the cell population.

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