Inhibition of growth of proline-requiring Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1) resulting from antagonism by a system amino acids

CHO-K1 requires proline for growth. Two proline-independent revertants were isolated—K1-J and K1-6. CHO-K1 pro^? is much more sensitive than the pro⁺ cell lines to inhibition of growth by addition to the medium of amino acids and amino acid analogues that are transported through the A system. In contrast, pro⁺ cells are as sensitive as, or in some cases slightly more sensitive than, pro^? cells to glycine, basic amino acids, and to amino acids that are mainly transported by the L system. The A system analogue α(methylamino) isobutyric acid (MAIB) in low concentrations reacts competitively with proline to regulate the growth of pro^? cells, yielding a K_i for MAIB of 0.56 mM. CHO-K1 and K1-6 transport proline at the same initial rate and are equally sensitive to the inhibition of proline transport by alanine. Alanine and MAIB inhibit proline transport strongly and similarly in CHO-K1. Thus although these compounds inhibit the transport of proline by both cell types to the same extent, pro⁺ cells are immune to the effect of this starvation since they are able to synthesize their own proline. We also describe a secondary inhibition caused by high A system amino acid concentrations that affects both pro^? and pro⁺ cells.     

Chemical modification of the neutral amino acid transport system L of Chinese hamster ovary cells with p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate.

Branched-chain and aromatic neutral amino acids enter mammalian cells predominantly through a Na(+)-independent transport agency called System L. The sulfhydryl specific reagent p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (pCMBS) has been shown to be a potent inactivator of System L transport activity in Chinese hamster ovary cells, however, inactivation by pCMBS can be prevented by the presence of System L-specific substrate amino acids during the inactivation reaction. In addition, the presence of amino acids that are not substrates for System L have no effect on pCMBS inactivation of System L. Inactivation of System L activity by pCMBS was sensitive to pH and reversible by incubation with dithiothreitol. These findings suggest that there is a sulfhydryl group in, or very near, the amino acid-binding site of the System L transporter of CHO cells. Substrate protection, however, could be explained by conformational changes in the transporter associated with substrate binding. The presence of a substrate protectable sulfhydryl group on the System L transporter would aid in the attempt to identify this transporter using the technique of differential labeling.     

Membrane potential and amino acid transport in a mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell line

The bioenergetics of amino acid transport system A was studied in two Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines, the parent line CHO-PEOT/1 and CHY-1, a mutant of the former exhibiting a low activity of the same transport system. The steady-state transmembrane distribution ratio of the cationic amino acid L-arginine (RARG) was employed as an indicator of membrane potential (delta psi). Evidence for the reliability of RARG to measure delta psi can be summarized as follows: (1) L-arginine transmembrane distribution increased under conditions of cell hyperpolarization and decreased under conditions of cell depolarization; (2) L-arginine distribution conformed closely to that expected for a probe of delta psi in conditions in which delta psi depends largely on the transmembrane potassium gradient; and (3) the value of delta psi obtained through a valinomycin null point experiment (-72.7 mV) was very similar to the value calculated from L-arginine distribution using the Nernst equation (-73.4 mV). The transmembrane gradient of sodium electrochemical potential (delta mu Na), the driving force for the operation of system A, was slightly higher in the mutant cell line CHY-1. In the same line, the intracellular level of the specific system A substrate MeAIB at steady state was also higher. Studies of the rheogenicity of system A in the two lines indicated that the depolarization associated with the entry of substrates of system A was proportional to the amount of amino acid taken up by the cells. Kinetic analysis showed that the low activity of system A in the mutant cell line was referrable to a decrease in transport Vmax. It is concluded that neither a decrease in energy available for the operation of system A nor a decreased efficiency of coupling of the system to delta psi is responsible for the defect observed in the mutant line.     

Mutants of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with altered colcemid-binding affinity.

Clones of CHO cells stably resistant to colcemid have been isolated in the presence of the nonionic detergent Tween 80 after mutagen treatment. Successive single-step selections for increasing resistance were performed resulting in lines after three selection steps about 10 fold more resistant to colcemid than the parental cells. Three observations indicate that these colcemid-resistant (CMR) mutants are different from the colchicine-resistant permeability mutants isolated previously. First, their relative resistance to colcemid was not diminished in the presence of detergent which promoted increased drug permeability. Second, the CMR clones displayed limited cross-resistances only to tubulin-binding compounds. Third, the binding affinity of labeled colcemid by cytoplasmic extracts from CMR clones was reduced, and the reduction was greater in the more resistant clones. No reduction in binding of labeled colcemid was observed in the membrane-altered colchicine-resistant mutants. All these observations are consistent with the CMR clones being tubulin-altered mutants. In further support of this conclusion, we observed that tubulin purified from a CMR mutant still possessed reduced colcemid-binding affinity compared with that from parental cells.     

Regulation of amino acid transport system L by amino acid availability in CHO-K1 cells. A special role for leucine

Starvation of CHO-K1 cells for leucine leads to a 3–4-fold increase in transport system L activity, without modification of transport through systems A and ASC. The concentration of leucine must be below 10 μM before the enhancement of transport can be clearly seen. To achieve low concentrations of leucine such as 10 μM, extensive dialysis of fetal calf serum was required. The enhancement of transport was completed after 12–24 h of starvation and was fully reversed within 1 h of re-feeding with leucine. Starvation for isoleucine, valine or phenylalanine also produced an increase in system L transport activity, but the effect was only one half of that seen following leucine starvation.     

Alanine transport by Chinese hamster ovary cells with altered phospholipid acyl chain composition

The Na+-dependent transport of alanine has been examined in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as a function of the fatty acid composition of their membrane lipids. Significant changes in the fatty acid composition of the CHO cell phospholipids were achieved by supplementation of the growth medium with specific saturated (palmitate) or monoenoic (oleate) free fatty acids. Arrhenius plots of the temperature-dependent uptake of alanine were constructed for cells of altered fatty acid composition. Alanine uptake was characterized by a single discontinuity in the Arrhenius plot. The temperature of this break was observed to be dependent upon the fatty acid composition of the cell phospholipids, ranging from 16 degrees C for cells enriched with oleate to 32 degrees C for cells enriched in palmitate. Calculation of the Km value for the uptake process showed no significant change with temperature or fatty acid supplementation. Correlations are made between the physical state of the membrane lipids and the temperature-dependence for alanine transport. The results are discussed in terms of membrane fatty acid composition, ordered in equilibrium fluid phase transitions and amino acid transport.     

Regulation of the A system of amino acid transport in Chinese hamster ovary cells, CHO-K1: the difference in specificity between the apo-repressor inactivator (apo-ri) and the transporter and the characterization of the proposed apo-ri

When amino acids that are generally transported through the A system are added to derepressed cultures of CHO-K1 cells or to cultures that are undergoing starvation-derepression, as in the co-repressor (co-r), co-inactivator (co-i), (co-ri) assay, the A system undergoes trans-inhibition, inactivation, and repression. The effect of inactivation and repression is not related to the ability of amino acids to bind to the A system transporter but supports a model in which these amino acids act as co-r's/co-i's, and by binding to a aporepressor/inactivator (apo-ri), the product of gene R1, convert it into a repressor/inactivator (ri). For example, beta-alanine acts as a strong co-r but does not inhibit proline transport through the A system. Hydroxyproline and histidine, although poor inhibitors of proline transport, are very effective as co-ri's. Diaminobutyrate, phenylalanine, alpha-keto-glutarate, pyro-glutamate, isoleucine, and valine, compounds that inhibit A system transport, listed in decreasing order of effectiveness, are all equally poor as co-ri's. Also the Km for the transport of 2-(methylamino)isobutyric acid (MeAIB) through the A system is two times the concentration of MeAIB required to produce one-half inactivation. Amino acid effectors and mutation can modify the conversion of the apo-ri to repressor (r) and inactivator (i). The apo-ri is converted by alanine, serine, proline, and MeAIB to ri, by beta-alanine and tryptophane to r, and by hydroxyproline to r and reduced i. The full constitutive and partial constitutive mutants alar4 and alar2, respectively, are in the same complementation group. Alar4 has no active apo-ri while the rate of derepression of alar2 is twice and the inactivation rate is equal to that of the parent culture.     

Isolation and characterization of a Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant with altered regulation of phosphatidylserine biosynthesis

We have screened approximately 10,000 colonies of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells immobilized on polyester cloth for mutants defective in [14C]ethanolamine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable phospholipids. In mutant 29, discovered in this way, the activities of enzymes involved in the CDP-ethanolamine pathway were normal; however, the intracellular pool of phosphorylethanolamine was elevated, being more than 10-fold that in the parental CHO-K1 cells. These results suggested that the reduced incorporation of [14C]ethanolamine into phosphatidylethanolamine in mutant 29 was due to dilution of phosphoryl-[14C]ethanolamine with the increased amount of cellular phosphorylethanolamine. Interestingly, the rate of incorporation of serine into phosphatidylserine and the content of phosphatidylserine in mutant 29 cells were increased 3-fold and 1.5-fold, respectively, compared with the parent cells. The overproduction of phosphorylethanolamine in mutant 29 cells was ascribed to the elevated level of phosphatidylserine biosynthesis, because ethanolamine is produced as a reaction product on the conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylserine, which is catalyzed by phospholipid-serine base-exchange enzymes. Using both intact cells and the particulate fraction of a cell extract, phosphatidylserine biosynthesis in CHO-K1 cells was shown to be inhibited by phosphatidylserine itself, whereas that in mutant 29 cells was greatly resistant to the inhibition, compared with the parental cells. As a conclusion, it may be assumed that mutant 29 cells have a lesion in the regulation of phosphatidylserine biosynthesis by serine-exchange enzyme activity, which results in the overproduction of phosphatidylserine and phosphorylethanolamine as well.     

Multiple subphases of DNA repair and poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells

The two types of DNA synthesis as well as poly(ADP-ribose) biosynthesis were measured simultaneously in synchronized intact populations of CHO cells throughout the duration of S phase. Naturally occurring DNA fragmentation was detected by random primed oligonucleotide synthesis (ROPS assay). Fractions of synchronous cell populations were obtained by counterflow centrifugal elutriation. By gradually increasing the resolution of centrifugal elutriation multiple non-overlapping repair and replication peaks were obtained. The elutriation profile of DNA repair peaks corresponded to the DNA fragmentation pattern measured by ROPS assay. The number and position of poly(ADP-ribose) peaks during S phase resembled those seen in the DNA replication profile. Our results indicate that PAR synthesis is coupled to DNA replication serving the purpose of genomic stability.     

Squalene synthase-deficient mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Squalene synthase (farnesyldiphosphate:farnesyldiphosphate farnesyltransferase, EC 2.5.1.21) converts farnesyl pyrophosphate to squalene, the first metabolic step committed solely to the biosynthesis of sterols. Using a fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique designed to screen for cells defective in the regulated degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, we isolated a squalene synthase-deficient mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells. The mutant cell line, designated SSD, exhibits less than 7% of the squalene synthase activity of the parental cell line, CHO-HMGal. Both the SSD and the parental cells stably express HMGal, a model protein for studying the regulated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase, which consists of the membrane domain of HMG-CoA reductase fused to bacterial beta-galactosidase (Skalnik, D. G., Narita, H., Kent, C., and Simoni, R. D. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6836-6841). In this study, the regulatory effects of mevalonate and compactin on the activity levels of HMGal are substantially reduced in SSD cells as compared to the parental cell line. In lipid-poor medium, SSD cell growth is arrested. The rate of [3H]acetate incorporation into cholesterol for the mutant SSD cells is less than 2% of the rate for the parental cells. However, the incorporation of [3H] squalene into sterols is essentially wild type for SSD cells. When the mutant SSD cells are fed [3H]acetate, radioactivity accumulates in farnesol, much of which is secreted into the medium. By growing SSD cells in lipid-poor medium, a revertant cell type, designated SSR, was isolated. In every assay performed the revertant SSR cells exhibited a phenotype that was essentially wild type, demonstrating that the SSD mutant phenotype was the result of a single mutation.     

Insulin receptor and altered glucose transport in a monensin-resistant mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cell

A monensin-resistant mutant Monr-31, derived from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, has been shown to have a reduced number of insulin receptors and a reduction in glucose uptake in response to insulin. We have further investigated the possibility that altered glucose uptake in Monr-31 cells is related to an alteration in the activity of the insulin receptor. Uptake of glucosamine, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose in Monr-31 cells was one-half to one-third that of CHO cells. The cellular content of the glucose transporter in Monr-31 was reduced to about one-third that of CHO as assayed by use of an antiglucose transporter antibody. After transfection with the human insulin receptor cDNA, we obtained clones CIR-0 from CHO, and MIR-2 and MIR-15 from Monr-31; CIR-0 expressed a tenfold higher level of the insulin-binding activity than did CHO, and MIR-2 and MIR-15 expressed a 20-fold higher level than did Monr-31. Glucose uptake in both CHO and CIR-0 was significantly enhanced by exogenous insulin, but not in Monr-31, MIR-2, and MIR-15. The beta-subunits of insulin receptor in CHO, CIR-0, Monr-31, and MIR-2 were similarly phosphorylated. The decreased glucose transport activity in Monr-31 cells is discussed in relation to the absence or presence of insulin receptor expression.     

Selection of mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells altered glycoproteins by means of tritiated fucose suicide.

Mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells altered in glycoproteins have been isolated by selecting for ability to survive exposure to [6-3H]fucose. Mutagenized wild-type cells were permitted to incorporate [3H]fucose to approximately 1 cpm of trichloroacetic acid-insoluble radioactivity per cell and then frozen for several days to accumulate radiation damage. The overall viability of the population was reduced by 5- to 50-fold. Four consecutive selection cycles were carried out. The surviving cells were screened by replica plating-fluorography for clones showing decreased incorporation of fucose into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble macromolecules. Considerable enrichment for cells deficient in fucose uptake or incorporation into proteins (or both) was found in populations surviving the later selection cycles. Two mutant clones isolated after the fourth selection cycle had the same doubling time as the wild type, but contained only 30 to 40% as much fucose bound to proteins as the wild type. Sialic acid contents of the mutants and the wild type were similar. The mutants differed quantitatively and qualitatively from the wild type and from each other with respect to total glycoprotein profiles as visualized by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Differences were also found in resistances to cytotoxicity of lectins such as concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin.     

Defective transport of Sindbis virus glycoproteins in End4 mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Mutant V.24.1, a temperature-sensitive derivative of Chinese hamster ovary cells, defines the End4 complementation group of mutants selected for resistance to protein toxins and has defective lysosomes at the restrictive temperature (P. A. Colbaugh, M. Stookey, and R. K. Draper, J. Cell Biol. 108:2211-2219, 1989). We have investigated the biosynthesis of Sindbis virus envelope glycoproteins in V.24.1 cells. When the cells were infected at the restrictive temperature, the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 were undetectable on the cell surface and proteolytic processing of the precursor protein pE2 to envelope protein E2 did not occur. Protein retained intracellularly was sensitive to endoglycosidase H and, by immunofluorescence localization, appeared to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum. We conclude that the genetic defect in V.24.1 cells impairs the transport of Sindbis virus glycoproteins, apparently at the level of export from the endoplasmic reticulum.     

Condensation of interphase chromatin in nuclei of synchronized chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells

Reversibly permeabilized cells have been used to visualize interphase chromatin structures in the presence and absence of biotinylated nucleotides. By reversing permeabilization, it was possible to confirm the existence of a flexible chromatin folding pattern through a series of transient geometric forms such as supercoiled, circular forms, chromatin bodies, thin and thick fibers, and elongated chromosomes. Our results show that the incorporation of biotin-11-dUTP interferes with chromatin condensation, leading to the accumulation of decondensed chromatin structures. Chromatin condensation without nucleotide incorporation was also studied in cell populations synchronized by centrifugal elutriation. After reversal of permeabilization, nuclei were isolated and chromatin structures were visualized after DAPI staining by fluorescent microscopy. Decondensed veil-like structures were observed in the early S phase (at an average C-value of 2.21), supercoiled chromatin later in the early S (2, 55 C), fibrous structures in the early mid S phase (2, 76 C), ribboned structures in the mid-S phase (2, 98 C), continuous chromatin strings later in the mid-S phase (3,28), elongated prechromosomes in the late S-phase (3, 72 C), precondensed chromosomes at the end and after the S phase (3, 99 C). Fluorescent microscopy revealed that neither interphase nor metaphase chromosomes are separate entities but form a linear array arranged in a semicircle. Linear arrangement was confirmed by computer image analysis.     

Evidence for a regulatory element controlling amino aced transport system L in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We have used the technique of somatic cell hybridization to study the regulation of the neutral amino acid transport system L in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The cell line CHO–;tsO25C1 has a temperature-sinsitive mutationin leucyl-tRNA synthetase. At the nonpermissive temperature of 39^oC, CHO–tsO25C1 cells are unable to charge leucyl-tRNA and behave as though starved for leucine by increasing their system L transport activity two- to fourfold. From the temperature-sensitive cell line, we have isolated a regulatory mutant cell, CHO–C11B6, that has constitutively elevated system L transport activity. The CHO–C11B6 cell line retains the temperature-sensitive leucyl-tRNA synthetase mutation, but growth of this cell line is temperature resistant because its increased system L transport activity leads of increased intracellular leucine levels, which compensate for the defective. Hybrid cells formed by fusion of the temperature-sensitive CHO–;tsO25C1 cells the temperature-resistant CHO–C11B6 cells show temperature-sensitive growth and temperature-dependent regulation of leucine transport activity. These data suggest that the system L activity of CHO cells is regulated by a dominant-acting element that is defective or absent in the regulatory mutant CHO–C11B6 cell line.     

Sequence specificity of cytosine methylation in the DNA of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cell line

We have determined the DNA renaturation kinetics for those DNA sequences of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells in which enzymatic cytosine methylation occurred immediately after strand synthesis and for those in which methylation was delayed after strand synthesis. DNA sequences showing immediate or delayed methylation were found to be distributed throughout all repetition classes of the DNA of these cells, with a slight concentration of immediate methylation in moderately repetitive sequences and with delayed methylation being slightly over-represented in the highly repetitive fraction. However, DNA sequences showing both classes of methylation were represented equally in unique DNA sequences. We interpret these data to mean that the methylase acting near the replication forks (the ‘immediate’ methylase) is a relatively inefficient enzyme, missing some 20% of hemimethylated sites produced by DNA replication in these cells. We suggest that the methylase performing maintenance methylation at sites remote from the replication forks (the ‘delayed’ methylase) is simply a back-up enzyme for the first and that it has no true sequence specificity. The implications of this for the function(s) of DNA methylation in mammalian cells are discussed.     

Sequence specificity of cytosine methylation in the DNA of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cell line

We have determined the DNA renaturation kinetics for those DNA sequences of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells in which enzymatic cytosine methylation occurred immediately after strand synthesis and for those in which methylation was delayed after strand synthesis. DNA sequences showing immediate or delayed methylation were found to be distributed throughout all repetition classes of the DNA of these cells, with a slight concentration of immediate methylation in moderately repetitive sequences and with delayed methylation being slightly over-represented in the highly repetitive fraction. However, DNA sequences showing both classes of methylation were represented equally in unique DNA sequences. We interpret these data to mean that the methylase acting near the replication forks (the 'immediate' methylase) is a relatively inefficient enzyme, missing some 20% of hemimethylated sites produced by DNA replication in these cells. We suggest that the methylase performing maintenance methylation at sites remote from the replication forks (the 'delayed' methylase) is simply a back-up enzyme for the first and that it has no true sequence specificity. The implications of this for the function(s) of DNA methylation in mammalian cells are discussed.     

Effect of amino acid and serum deprivation on the regulation of RNA synthesis in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells

In a proline-requiring Chinese hamster ovary cell line, if both proline and serum are removed from the culture medium, net RNA synthesis is reduced to about 12 % of the unstarved control. This reduction in RNA synthesis is comparable to the stringent regulation of RNA in bacteria. A beta-globulin carbohydrate containing (3.5 % $\text{w}\text{w}$) protein factor was isolated and partially purified from fetal calf serum. The isolated serum factor is able to replace whole serum in stimulating cellular RNA synthesis and has an RNAase inhibitory effect in vitro. The effect of proline starvation and serum factor deprivation on RNA synthesis are independent and additive; each regulates about half of the total RNA synthesized. The regulation appears to affect the synthesis of all species of cytoplasmic RNA.     

Accumulation of glycolipids in mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells (Z65) with defective peroxisomal assembly and comparison of the metabolic rate of glycosphingolipids between Z65 cells and wild-type CHO-K1 cells

The influence of peroxisomal dysfunction on glycosphingolipid metabolism was investigated using mutant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells (Z65) with defective assembly of the peroxisomal membranes. In accordance with previous observations, the concentration of very long chain fatty acid (C24:0) was shown to be higher in Z65 cells than in control cells. We then compared the composition of glycolipids in Z65 cells with that in CHO-K1 cells, which are wild-type Chinese hamster ovary cells with intact peroxisomes, and found significantly increased concentrations of ceramide monohexoside (CMH) and ganglioside GM3 in Z65 cells. However, there were no differences in the concentrations of glycerophospholipids, triglycerides, free fatty acids and cholesterol between Z65 and CHO-K1 cells. Further, to investigate the metabolic rate of the major lipids, Z65 and CHO-K1 cells were pulse-labeled with [3-14C]serine. [3-14C]Serine was incorporated into phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin more quickly in CHO-K1 than in Z65 cells. However, after 48 h, the radioactivity incorporated into those lipids, including CMH, was greater in Z65 cells than in CHO-K1 cells. Thus, the altered metabolism of glycosphingolipids, probably due to peroxisomal dysfunction, was thought to be responsible for the change in glycosphingolipid composition in Z65 cells.     

Mannolipid donor specificity of glycosylphosphatidylinositol mannosyltransferase-I (GPIMT-I) determined with an assay system utilizing mutant CHO-K1 cells

The microsomal enzyme glycosylphosphatidylinositol mannosyltransferaseI (GPIMT-I) catalyses the transfer of a mannosyl residue fromß-mannosylphosphoryldolichol (ß-Man-P-Dol)to glucosamine-