Recombination events during integration of transfected DNA into normal human cells.

The mechanisms of recombination responsible for random integration of transfected DNA into the genome of normal human cells have been investigated by analysis of plasmid-cell DNA junctions. Cell clones containing integrated plasmid sequences were selected by morphological transformation of primary human fibroblasts after transfection with a plasmid containing simian virus 40 sequences. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the plasmid-cell DNA junctions was performed on cloned DNA fragments containing the integration sites from two of these cell clones. Polymerase chain reaction was then performed with human cell DNA from primary fibroblasts to isolate the cell DNA from the same sites before plasmid integration. Comparison of the sequences at the plasmid-cell DNA junctions with those of both the original plasmid and the cell DNA demonstrated short sequence similarities and additional nucleotides, typical of nonhomologous recombination. Evidence of short deletions in the cell DNA at the plasmid integration sites suggests that integration occurred by a mechanism similar to that used for repair of spontaneous or gamma ray-induced strand breaks. Plasmid integration occurred within nonrepetitive cell DNA with no major rearrangements, although rearrangements of the cell DNA at the integration site occurred in one of the clones after integration.     

Quantitation of the viral DNA present in somatic cell hybrids between mouse and SV40-transformed human cells

Recent studies of somatic cell hybrids between mouse cells and SV40-transformed human cells have demonstrated a correlation between the expression of SV40 T-antigen and the presence of human chromosome 7. We have used two types of nucleic acid hybridization procedures to detect and quantitate the presence of viral DNA sequences in the DNA of the hybrid cell clones. Results of reassociation kinetics as well as hybridization with a single-strand probe indicate that SV40 DNA is present only in those hybrid clones which both contain human chromosome 7 and express the SV40 T-antigen. SV40 DNA was not detectable either in the clones which had lost human chromosome 7, or in the rare clones which retain human chromosome 7 but which do not express T-antigen. We have thus extended the correlation between human chromosome 7 and the SV40 T-antigen to the presence of integrated SV40 DNA in somatic cell hybrid clones.     

Nucleotide sequence analysis of novel junctions near an unstable integrated plasmid in human cells

Characterization of human cell clones containing a promoterless selectable gene (neo), integrated at various locations in the genome, demonstrated that one of the integration sites had a high rate of spontaneous tandem duplications. Other investigators have suggested that specific sequences, such as short repeats, found near an integration site, could be responsible for this kind of instability. To learn more about this process, we sequenced the DNA at the recombination site in two independently derived subclones, and compared these sequences with those found in the parental cell DNA. The results demonstrate that specific sequences are not required at the recombination site. In one G418-resistant subclone, recombination occurred between an Alu retroposon in the cellular DNA and integrated pBR322 sequences sharing 3 bp of similarity at the recombination site. In the other subclone, recombination occurred between single-copy cellular DNA and integrated simian virus 40 sequences sharing a single bp of similarity at the recombination site. This heterogeneity at the recombination site indicates a general enhancement of the rate of recombination within the entire region, with little if any sequence specificity or similarity required.     

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) genomes integrated in head and neck cancers and in HPV-16-immortalized human keratinocyte clones express chimeric virus-cell mRNAs similar to those found in cervical cancers

Many human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive high-grade lesions and cancers of the uterine cervix harbor integrated HPV genomes expressing the E6 and E7 oncogenes from chimeric virus-cell mRNAs, but less is known about HPV integration in head and neck cancer (HNC). Here we compared viral DNA status and E6-E7 mRNA sequences in HPV-16-positive HNC tumors to those in independent human keratinocyte cell clones derived from primary tonsillar or foreskin epithelia immortalized with HPV-16 genomes. Three of nine HNC tumors and epithelial clones containing unintegrated HPV-16 genomes expressed mRNAs spliced from HPV-16 SD880 to SA3358 and terminating at the viral early gene p(A) signal. In contrast, most integrated HPV genomes in six HNCs and a set of 31 keratinocyte clones expressed HPV-16 major early promoter (MEP)-initiated mRNAs spliced from viral SD880 directly to diverse cellular sequences, with a minority spliced to SA3358 followed by a cellular DNA junction. Sequence analysis of chimeric virus-cell mRNAs from HNC tumors and keratinocyte clones identified viral integration sites in a variety of chromosomes, with some located in or near growth control genes, including the c-myc protooncogene and the gene encoding FAP-1 phosphatase. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that HPV integration in cancers is a stochastic process resulting in clonal selection of aggressively expanding cells with altered gene expression of integrated HPV genomes and potential perturbations of cellular genes at or near viral integration sites. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that this selection also takes place and can be studied in primary human keratinocytes in culture.     

Acquisition of telomere repeat sequences by transfected DNA integrated at the site of a chromosome break.

Previous analysis of plasmid DNA transfected into 108 cell clones demonstrated extensive polymorphism near the integration site in one clone. This polymorphism was apparent by Southern blot analysis as diffuse bands that extended over 30 kb. In the present study, nucleotide sequence analysis of cloned DNA from the integration site revealed telomere repeat sequences at the ends of the integrated plasmid DNA. The telomere repeat sequences at one end were located at the junction between the plasmid and cell DNA. The telomere repeat sequences at the other end were located in the opposite orientation in the polymorphic region and were shown by digestion with BAL 31 to be at the end of the chromosome. Telomere repeat sequences were not found at this location in the plasmid or parent cell DNA. Although the repeat sequences may have been acquired by recombination, a more likely explanation is that they were added to the ends of the plasmid by telomerase before integration. Comparison of the cell DNA before and after integration revealed that a chromosome break had occurred at the integration site, which was shown by fluorescent in situ hybridization to be located near the telomere of chromosome 13. These results demonstrate that chromosome breakage and rearrangement can result in interstitial telomere repeat sequences within the human genome. These sequences could promote genomic instability, because short repeat sequences can be recombinational hotspots. The results also show that DNA rearrangements involving telomere repeat sequences can be associated with chromosome breaks. The introduction of telomere repeat sequences at spontaneous or ionizing radiation-induced DNA strand breaks may therefore also be a mechanism of chromosome fragmentation.     

Free and integrated forms of hepatitis B virus DNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (PLC/342) propagated in nude mice.

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma cells (PLC/342) propagated in nude mice produce hepatitis B surface antigen of subtype adr, as well as core particles containing viral DNA and DNA polymerase. Free and integrated forms of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the tumor were isolated by molecular cloning, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. Both of the two representative clones of free HBV DNA had the same genomic length (3,158 base pairs) and had two stop codons as well as two deletions in the envelope gene. None of the seven distinct clones of integrated HBV DNA possessed the entire viral genome. The integrated clone sequences had deletions and rearrangements, and only two clones possessed the envelope gene including the promoter and enhancer sequences. The C gene, which codes for core protein, was preserved in the two free clones and one of the integrated clones. The P gene, which codes for DNA polymerase, had deletions at two positions of 21 and 36 base pairs in both free clones, but was carried in toto by one of the integrated clones. The nucleotide sequences of the S genes of two free and four integrated clones, as well as their two inverted repeats, were compared. All of the eight sequences of the S gene possessed two nucleotide substitutions in common that were not displayed by any of the reported HBV genomes. The sequences differed from one another by only 1.2%. They differed, however, from 11 reported HBV genomes of subtype adr by 2.4%, from an ayr genome by 1.9%, from 2 adw genomes by 6.9%, and from 2 ayw genomes by 5.9%. These results indicate that all free and integrated HBV DNA species in the PLC/342 tumor cell evolved from a common progenitor. The free HBV DNA underwent nucleotide substitutions during several integration events, resulting in integrated HBV DNA copies that were similar in sequence but distinct from the reported HBV genomes.     

Transforming DNA integrates into the host chromosome

A series of rat liver cotransformed cell lines have been constructed containing from 5 to 100 copies of a variant human growth hormone gene. We have used hybridization in situ to demonstrate that most, if not all, cotransformed sequences reside in a chromosome of the host cell. In each of four cell lines examined, hybridization was restricted to a single chromosomal site with no extrachromosomal sites apparent. The site was invariant within each line; however, each line revealed a different site of integration for transforming sequences. In two of the four lines, transforming DNA resided at or near the site of gross chromosomal rearrangements, in one line near an rDNA site, and in one line in the middle of an apparently normal chromosome. Thus, insertion is not restricted to a unique chromosome or chromosomal region.     

Autonomous replication of human chromosomal DNA fragments in human cells.

We have examined whether a human chromosome has distinct segments that can replicate autonomously as extrachromosomal elements. Human 293S cells were transfected with a set of human chromosomal DNA fragments of 8-15 kilobase pairs that were cloned on an Escherichia coli plasmid vector. The transfected cells were subsequently cultured in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine during two cell generations, and several plasmid clones labeled in both of the daughter DNA strands were isolated. Efficiency of replication of these clones, as determined from the ratios of heavy-heavy and one-half of heavy-light molecules to total molecules recovered from density-labeled cells, was 9.4% per cell generation on the average. Replication efficiency of control clones excluded during the selection was about 2.2% and that of the vector plasmid alone was 0.3%. A representative clone p1W1 replicated in a semiconservative manner only one round during the S phase of the cell cycle. It replicated extrachromosomally without integration into chromosome. The human segment of the clone was composed of several subsegments that promoted autonomous replication at different efficiencies. Our results suggest that certain specific nucleotide sequences are involved in autonomous replication of human segments.     

Retrovirus-related sequences in human DNA: detection and cloning of sequences which hybridize with the long terminal repeat of baboon endogenous virus

Human DNA sequences which hybridized with the long terminal repeats (LTR) of baboon type C virus M7 were detected by non-stringent blot hybridization. About 7 to 10 discrete bands of the LTR-related sequences were commonly observed in the DNAs from four independent human cell lines after digestion with either Eco RI, Hind III or Bam HI. The amounts of these sequences were more abundant in tumor cell lines than in a non-malignant cell line. The human sequences related to the M7 LTR seemed to be located at relatively specific sites on the cell DNA. The human DNA clones which hybridized with M7 LTR were detected in the human DNA library described by Lawn et al. (Cell 15, 1157-1174, 1978), at a frequency of about 300 per haploid genome. Five clones were isolated which shared different extent of homology with M7 LTR and whose restriction maps were totally different one another. The DNA structures of two of them resembled the genome of retroviruses. These results suggest the presence of various types of the LTR-related sequences in human DNA: some of them might represent endogenous virus genomes of human cells.     

The organization of two related subfamilies of a human tandemly repeated DNA is chromosome specific

Summary Several clones containing clusters of repetitive elements were isolated from a human chromosome 22 specific library. An EcoRI-XhoI fragment of 860bp was subcloned and was shown to belong to a family of tandemly repeated DNA linked to the Y-specific 3.4 kb HaeIII band. This probe hybridizes to several sets of sequences or subfamilies. The most abundant subfamily is a 1.8kb long sequence containing one EcoRV site, and in most repeats, one AvaII and one KpnI site. Using human-rodent somatic cell hybrid DNA, we have shown that this cluster is present on human chromosome 9 although presence on chromosome 15 is not excluded. Another subfamily, 6.1 kb long, appears to be exclusive of chromosome 16. By in situ hybridization with metaphasic chromosomes, these sets of repeats were mapped to the constitutive heterochromatin of a few chromosomes. Coexistence in one genome of long tandem repeats of distinct organization but similar length may represent the outcome of a continuous process of fixation of variant sequences. Homologous repeats are also abundant in four higher primate genomes (Orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and man) but absent in other primates (African green monkey, rhesus monkey, baboon, and mouse lemur).     

Localization of the human alpha-globin structural gene to chromosome 16 in somatic cell hybrids by molecular hybridization assay

We have used 16 human × mouse somatic cell hybrids containing a variable number of human chromosomes to demonstrate that the human α-globin gene is on chromosome 16. Globin gene sequences were detected by annealing purified human α-globin complementary DNA to DNA extracted from hybrid cells. Human and mouse chromosomes were distinguished by Hoechst fluorescent centromeric banding, and the individual human chromosomes were identified in the same spreads by Giemsa trypsin banding. Isozyme markers for 17 different human chromosomes were also tested in the 16 clones which have been characterized. The absence of chromosomal translocation in all hybrid clones strongly positive for the α-globin gene was established by differential staining of mouse and human chromosomes with Giemsa 11 staining. The presence of human chromosomes in hybrid cell clones which were devoid of human α-globin genes served to exclude all human chromosomes except 6, 9, 14 and 16. Among the clones negative for human α-globin sequences, one contained chromosome 2 (JFA 14a 5), three contained chromosome 4 (AHA 16E, AHA 3D and WAV R4D) and two contained chromosome 5 (AHA 16E and JFA14a 13 5) in >10% of metaphase spreads. These data excluded human chromosomes 2, 4 and 5 which had been suggested by other investigators to contain human globin genes. Only chromosome 16 was present in each one of the three hybrid cell clones found to be strongly positive for the human α-globin gene. Two clones (WAIV A and WAV) positive for the human α-globin gene and chromosome 16 were counter-selected in medium which kills cells retaining chromosome 16. In each case, the resulting hybrid populations lacked both human chromosome 16 and the α-globin gene. These studies establish the localization of the human α-globin gene to chromosome 16 and represent the first assignment of a nonexpressed unique gene by direct detection of its DNA sequences in somatic cell hybrids.     

Alu-PCR: characterization of a chromosome 6-specific hybrid mapping panel and cloning of chromosome-specific markers.

The Alu-polymerase chain reaction (Alu-PCR) was applied to selectively amplify DNA sequences from human chromosome 6 using a single primer (A1) directed to the human Alu consensus sequence. A specific amplification pattern was demonstrated for a panel of eight somatic cell hybrids containing different portions of chromosome 6. This PCR pattern permits the identification of submicroscopic DNA alterations and can be utilized as a reference for additional chromosome 6-specific hybrids. To obtain new chromosome 6-specific markers we established two libraries from PCR-amplified sequences using two somatic cell hybrids (MCH381.2D and 640-5A). Out of a total of 109 clones that were found to be chromosome 6 specific, 13 clones were regionally assigned. We also included a procedure that allows the isolation of chromosome 6-specific markers from hybrids that contain human chromosomes other than 6. Our results will contribute to the molecular characterization of chromosome 6 by fostering characterization of somatic cell hybrids and by the generation of new regionally assigned DNA markers.     

Human repeat element-mediated PCR: cloning and mapping of chromosome 10 DNA markers.

Repeat element-mediated PCR can facilitate rapid cloning and mapping of human chromosomal region-specific DNA markers from somatic cell hybrid DNA. PCR primers directed to human repeat elements result in human-specific DNA synthesis; template DNA derived from a somatic cell hybrid containing the human chromosomal region of interest provides region specificity. We have generated a series of repeat element-mediated PCR clones from a reduced complexity somatic cell hybrid containing a portion of human chromosome 10. The cloning source retains the centromere and tightly linked flanking markers, plus additional chromosome 10 sequences. Twelve new inter-Alu, two inter-L1, and four inter-Alu/L1 repeat element-mediated PCR clones were mapped by hybridization to Southern blots of repeat element-mediated PCR products amplified from somatic cell hybrid DNA templates. Two inter-Alu clones mapped to the pericentromeric region. We propose that a scarcity of Alu elements in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 10 contributed to the low number of clones obtained from this region. One inter-Alu clone, pC11/A1S-6-c23, defines the D10S94 locus, which is tightly linked to MEN2A and D10Z1.     

Infectious Molecular Clones of Adeno-Associated Virus Isolated Directly from Human Tissues

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) replication and biology have been extensively studied using cell culture systems, but there is precious little known about AAV biology in natural hosts. As part of our ongoing interest in the in vivo biology of AAV, we previously described the existence of extrachromosomal proviral AAV genomes in human tissues. In the current work, we describe the molecular structure of infectious DNA clones derived directly from these tissues. Sequence-specific linear rolling-circle amplification was utilized to isolate clones of native circular AAV DNA. Several molecular clones containing unit-length viral genomes directed the production of infectious wild-type AAV upon DNA transfection in the presence of adenovirus help. DNA sequence analysis of the molecular clones revealed the ubiquitous presence of a double-D inverted terminal repeat (ITR) structure, which implied a mechanism by which the virus is able to maintain ITR sequence continuity and persist in the absence of host chromosome integration. These data suggest that the natural life cycle of AAV, unlike that of retroviruses, might not have genome integration as an obligatory component.     

A Panel of Radiation Hybrids Defining the 7q31-q32 Region of Human Chromosome 7

Mouse A9 cells containing human chromosome 7 tagged with pSV2neowere irradiated with X-rays and fused to A9 cells to isolateG418-resistant clones. From these clones, we selected radiationhybrids that contained 10–40 Mb of human DNA apparentlyat a single site of their genome by FISH analysis using humanrepetitive sequences as a probe. Then we made a panel of hybridsthat contained various fragments of the 7q31-q32 region andcover its entire region altogether by PCR with STS markers ofhuman chromosome 7. This panel is useful in chromosome transferexperiments since the dominant selective marker neo gene isattached to human DNA.     

Adeno-associated virus Rep proteins target DNA sequences to a unique locus in the human genome.

We have developed a system for site-specific DNA integration in human cells, mediated by the adeno-associated virus (AAV) Rep proteins. In its normal lysogenic cycle, AAV integrates at a site on human chromosome 19 termed AAVS1. We describe a rapid PCR assay for the detection of integration events at AAVS1 in whole populations of cells. Using this assay, we determined that the AAV Rep proteins, delivered in cis or trans, are required for integration at AAVS1. Only the large forms of the Rep protein, Rep78 and Rep68, promoted site-specific integration. The AAV inverted terminal repeats, present in cis, were not essential for integration at AAVS1, but in cells containing Rep, they increased the efficiency of integration. In the presence of the Rep proteins, the integration of a plasmid containing AAV inverted terminal repeats occurred at high frequency, such that clones containing the plasmid could be isolated without selection. In two of the five clones analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization, the plasmid DNA was integrated at AAVS1. In most of the clones, at least one copy of the entire plasmid was integrated in a tandem array. Detailed analysis of the integrated plasmid structure in one clone suggested a complex mechanism producing rearrangements of the flanking genomic DNA, similar to those observed with wild-type AAV.     

Human ornithine decarboxylase sequences map to chromosome regions 2pter----p23 and 7cen----qter but are not coamplified with the NMYC oncogene

Using a mouse cDNA probe for ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), we have identified and isolated an ODC cDNA clone from a lambda gt11 recombinant library prepared from human liver cell mRNA. The 2.0-kb insert of this clone hybridizes with several mouse genomic ODC DNA restriction fragments under conditions of low stringency, but reacts with only few human DNA fragments and a polyA+ RNA species of 2.2 kb under both nonstringent and stringent hybridization conditions. This suggests that, unlike the mouse genome, there are only few ODC genes in the human genome. The human ODC DNA fragments segregate with chromosome regions 2pter----p23 and 7cen----qter in mouse X human somatic cell hybrid clones containing normal, translocated, and deleted human chromosomes. Sequences of the short arm of chromosome 2 containing the NMYC oncogene at 2p23----p24 are often involved in DNA amplification in neuroblastomas and small-cell lung cancers. However, in at least three cases--one neuroblastoma cell line, one neuroblastoma tumor, and one lung carcinoma--the ODC sequences are not coamplified with the NMYC oncogene.     

Rearrangement of a common cellular DNA domain on chromosome 4 in human primary liver tumors.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA integration has been shown to occur frequently in human hepatocellular carcinomas. We have investigated whether common cellular DNA domains might be rearranged, possibly by HBV integration, in human primary liver tumors. Unique cellular DNA sequences adjacent to an HBV integration site were isolated from a patient with hepatitis B surface antigen-positive hepatocellular carcinoma. These probes detected rearrangement of this cellular region of chromosomal DNA in 3 of 50 additional primary liver tumors studied. Of these three tumor samples, two contained HBV DNA, without an apparent link between the viral DNA and the rearranged allele; HBV DNA sequences were not detected in the third tumor sample. By use of a panel of somatic cell hybrids, these unique cellular DNA sequences were shown to be located on chromosome 4. Therefore, this region of chromosomal DNA might be implicated in the formation of different tumors at one step of liver cell transformation, possibly related to HBV integration.     

利用CRISPR/Cas9对基因组中高度同源DNA片段编辑多样性的遗传学研究

在基因组中,编码区存在许多高度相似的基因簇或基因群(多拷贝基因),非编码区也存在大量的重复序列。这些重复序列能通过改变染色体的三维结构调控基因的转录,对于生物体的遗传与进化起到了重要的作用。其高度同源的特征使得利用CRISPR/Cas9技术进行基因组编辑时面临更加复杂的状况。如果编辑的片段是二倍体或多倍体,还会产生各条染色单体上的编辑情况不相同的现象。为此本文选择了2个位于同一染色体相距11 kb的高度同源300 bp片段(L1和L2)进行CRISPR介导的DNA片段编辑。采用一对sgRNA(分别共同靶向两片段的上、下游位点)引导Cas9对HepG2细胞两个高度相似的DNA片段进行切割。片段编辑的细胞进一步单克隆化后,对获得的22个L1/L2编辑的CRISPR单克隆细胞株进行详细的基因型鉴定。结果发现除了这两个DNA片段本身被删除外,它们之间的大片段也存在被删除的现象,三个片段的各种反转组合也很频繁。该研究结果对于采用CRISPR/Cas9系统编辑多拷贝基因或重复序列,尤其是对二倍体或多倍体生物进行基因组编辑时具有重要的借鉴和参考价值。     

Analysis of integrated human papillomavirus type 16 DNA in cervical cancers: amplification of viral sequences together with cellular flanking sequences.

We have isolated four clones of integrated human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) DNA from four different primary cervical cancer specimens. All clones were found to be monomeric or dimeric forms of HPV-16 DNA with cellular flanking sequences at both ends. Analysis of the viral sequences in these clones showed that E6/E7 open reading frames and the long control region were conserved and that no region specific for the integration was detected. Analysis of the cellular flanking sequences revealed no significant homology with any known human DNA sequences, except Alu sequences, and no homology among the clones, indicating no cellular sequence specific for the integration. By probing with single-copy cellular flanking sequences from the clones, it was demonstrated that the integrated HPV-16 DNAs, with different sizes in the same specimens, shared the same cellular flanking sequences at the ends. Furthermore, it was shown that the viral sequences together with cellular flanking sequences were amplified. The possible process of viral integration into cell chromosomes in cervical cancer is discussed.