Changes in bleb formation following hyperthermia treatment of Chinese hamster ovary cells

Chinese hamster ovary cells in suspension cultures were heated for various times at 41.5, 43.5, and 45.5 degrees C, and quantitative determinations of microblebbing and macroblebbing of the cell membrane were performed for cells maintained at 4, 25, and 37 degrees C after hyperthermia. The percentage of cells with blebs following heating at 45.5 degrees C was dependent upon the duration of heating with increases from 40% for 5 min to 90% for 30 min. Cells exposed to lower temperatures exhibited less blebbing which was not quantifiable. The changes in bleb formation following 45.5 degrees C were dependent upon the posthyperthermia temperature: a slight decrease of macroblebbing at 25 degrees C, a decrease to 50% by 2 h at 37 degrees C, and a sharp decrease of macroblebbing to less than 10% by 1 h at 4 degrees C. Microblebbing increased slightly at 37 degrees C. When cells were transferred rapidly from the 4 degrees C posthyperthermia incubation to 37 degrees C, the bleb formation percentages returned rapidly to the higher levels which existed before posthyperthermia incubation at the lower temperatures. Gamma irradiation of 20 and 50 Gy produced only a small increase in microblebbing at longer periods (5 to 6 h) but no increase in macroblebbing. The survival of cells heated for 20 min at 45.5 degrees C was decreased 40% for suspension cells maintained at 4 degrees C for 2 to 3 h before incubation at 37 degrees C for colony formation compared to cells immediately incubated at 37 degrees C after heating. The survival of cells maintained at 25 degrees C after heating was not altered in comparison.     

The pericentriolar material in Chinese hamster ovary cells nucleates microtubule formation

The structure and function of the centrosomes from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were investigated by electron microscopy of negatively stained wholemount preparations of cell lysates. Cells were trypsinized from culture dishes, lysed with Triton X-100, sedimented onto ionized, carbon-coated grids, and negatively stained with phosphotungstate. The centrosomes from both interphase and dividing cells consisted of pairs of centrioles, a fibrous pericentriolar material, and a group of virus-like particles which were characteristic of the CHO cells and which served as markers for the pericentriolar material. Interphase centrosomes anchored up to two dozen microtubules when cells were lysed under conditions which preserved native microtubules. When Colcemid-blocked mitotic cells, initially devoid of microtubules, were allowed to recover for 10 min, microtubules formed at the pericentriolar material, but not at the centrioles. When lysates of Colcemid-blocked cells were incubated in vitro with micotubule protein purified from porcine brain tissue, up to 250 microtubules assembled at the centrosomes, similar to the number of microtubules that would normally form at the centrosome during cell division. A few microtubules could also be assembled in vitro onto the ends of isolated centrioles from which the pericentriolar material had been removed, forming characteristic axoneme- like bundles. In addition, microtubules; were assembled onto fragments of densely staining, fibrous material which was tentatively identified as periocentriolar material by its association of CHO can initiate and anchor microtubules both in vivo and in vitro.     

Chromosome-mediated gene transfer with the Chinese hamster ovary cell line

Using an improved method of chromosome-mediated gene transfer, we have investigated transfer of the codominantly expressed methotrexate-resistant dihydrofolate reductase (MtxRIIIdhfr) gene into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell recipients. The frequency of dhfr gene transfer with CHO cells varied considerably from clone to clone, ranging from 4 X 10(-7) to 5 X 10(-5). Using appropriate cell recipients we were able to test for linkage of several genetic markers available in the CHO cell line. For example, the mutation resulting in the auxotrophic glyB-CHO cell line has been reported by others to be linked to the dhfr gene. However, we could not demonstrate cotransfer of these two markers when glyB- recipient cells were treated with MtxRIII chromosomes and transformant clones were selected for either methotrexate-resistance (MtxR) or glycine prototrophy. We conclude that these two genes are not closely linked in the hamster genome. However, the genes for thymidine kinase (tk) and galactokinase (gk), which are known to be linked in mammalian genomes, were found to cotransfer into CHO recipients with a frequency of about 50%.     

The survival of cytochalasin-induced multinucleation following irradiation of Chinese hamster ovary cells

Chinese hamster ovary cells were cultured for up to 280 hr in medium containing 1.75 mcg/ml cytochalasin B. The distribution of the number of nuclei per cell in unirradiated cultures on the 6th day was unimodal with some cells containing 27 or more nuclei. The DNA content distribution was in contrast polymodal with the means of the two terminal major peaks occurring at approximately 40 and 80 units of DNA content (antimodes at 29 and 58 units), where 1 unit is the content of untreated G1 cells. Irradiation (gamma, 137-Cs) at doses up to 10 Gy caused an exponential reduction in the proportion of plated cells able to reach high nucleus- or DNA-contents. The reduction due to 5 Gy was stable at least up to 280 hr in culture. The accumulation of total DNA in the culture was well-fitted by a Gompertz function, with little further increase after 230 hr when the average DNA content per cell reached about 90 units.     

A correlation between membrane glycopeptide composition and losses in concanavalin a agglutinability induced by db-cAMP in Chinese hamster ovary cells

A double-label method, employing [¹⁴C]- and [³H]-fucose, has been used to compare the carbohydrate components of surface glycoproteins from four different sub-clones of Chinese hamster ovary cells grown in the presence or absence of either 3′: 5′-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db-cAMP), 3′: 5′-cyclic AMP (cAMP) or a phosphodiesterase inhibitor SQ 20009. Following growth in one or more of these drugs, a number of these sub-clones showed a fairly small, but consistent reduction in the amount of the more rapidly eluting fucopeptides that could be isolated from the plasma membrane and a corresponding increase in lower molecular weight components as determined by Sephadex G-50 chromatography. This apparent decrease in the size of surface fucopeptides was related to a reduced sialic acid content of a class of surface glycopeptides isolated from the treated cells. This surface change was always correlated with a loss of concanavalin A (ConA)-mediated agglutinability. However, this surface change was not invariably associated with the drug-induced morphological transition towards a more fibroblast-like form. More-over, the sialic acid-rich glycopeptides bound only poorly to ConA affinity columns and were probably not therefore the lectin receptors. Double-label experiments have shown that upon addition of db-cAMP to the cells, existing glycopeptides are apparently unmodified but rather new components reaching the cell surface have a reduced amount of sialic acid associated with them. We propose that the loss in lectin-induced agglutinability and the reduction in glycopeptide size are related phenomena resulting from a primary change in cell surface chemistry.     

Characterization of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line resistant to uncouplers

The chemiosmotic theory of oxidative phosphorylation and the action of uncouplers was examined by characterizing a clone, UH5, of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO TK-) cells resistant to 5-chloro-3-tert-butyl-2'-chloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide (S-13), a potent uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. About 9-times and 4-times more S-13 was required to effect growth and respiration respectively of UH5 cells compared to the parental CHO TK- cells. UH5 cells were cross-resistant to the uncouplers SF-6847 (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benzylidenemalononitrile), carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone and 2,4-dinitrophenol but not to oligomycin, venturicidin or Tevenel. Size, chromosome number and DNA content indicated that the UH5 cell line was probably pseudotetraploid compared to the parental pseudodiploid CHO TK- cells. Hybrid and cybrid cells formed from crosses of UH5 cells and cytoplasts, respectively, with an uncoupler-sensitive cell line were sensitive to S-13 indicating that resistance is probably nuclear-determined. UH5 cell mitochondria had increased cytochrome oxidase and decreased H+-ATPase activities. A fivefold resistance of oxidative phosphorylation to uncouplers was found at the mitochondrial level with respiration driven by either succinate or ascorbate/N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. In contrast, no difference in sensitivity was found to valinomycin between mitochondria from UH5 and CHO TK- cells. The oligomycin-sensitive H+-ATPase activity of UH5 and CHO TK- cell mitochondria was equally stimulated by the uncoupler S-13. Uncoupler-resistant mitochondria would not be expected on the basis of the chemiosmotic theory, and the relation of the results to other modes of coupling is considered.     

Improved product formation in high density Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures transfected at confluency

Cell-specific productivity was compared in Chinese hamster ovary cell clones transfected at confluency versus subconfluency. Following lipofection of a pCDNA1-derived vector encoding a proteinA-fucosyltransferaseIV fusion protein, selection and single cell sorting by flow cytometry, clones were expanded to tissue flasks and assessed for cell specific productivity. The probability of obtaining high producers at confluency was significantly higher from cells transfected at confluency than at subconfluency (P=0.05).     

鼠抗人纤维蛋白单链抗体-尿激酶杂合基因的构建及其在中国仓鼠卵巢细胞中的表达

采用 DNA重组技术构建了表达鼠抗人纤维蛋白单链抗体与低分子量尿激酶融合基因的真核表达载体。通过磷酸钙共沉淀法 ,将该表达载体转染到中国仓鼠卵巢细胞二氢叶酸还原酶基因缺陷株 ( CHO- dhfr-)中 ,利用选择培养基筛选出稳定表达的细胞株 ,溶解圈法测定融合蛋白的表达水平为每 1 0 6细胞每天 5 8IU。该融合蛋白保留了与纤维蛋白的结合活性和溶解纤维蛋白的溶纤活性。SDS- PAGE,Western印迹法分析证明融合蛋白的相对分子质量约为 70× 1 0 3     

Inositol metabolism and cell growth in a Chinese hamster ovary cell myo-inositol auxotroph

The intracellular concentrations of polyphosphoinositides and inositol phosphates were determined, and their role in growth factor-initiated cell division was investigated in a Chinese hamster ovary cell inositol auxotroph (CHO-K1-Ins). Metabolic labeling experiments during inositol starvation of CHO-K1-Ins cells showed that 1) the lipid-linked inositol component was maintained at the expense of the soluble inositol pool, 2) the decreasing cellular content of phosphatidylinositol was replaced by phosphatidylglycerol, and 3) the concentrations of inositol polyphosphates and polyphosphoinositides were conserved at the expense of inositol and phosphatidylinositol. These data show that homeostatic mechanisms exist for the maintenance of the polyphosphoinositide and inositol phosphate pools at the expense of inositol and phosphatidylinositol. The addition of alpha-thrombin to growth-arrested (serum-starved) CHO-K1-Ins cells stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA to the same extent as that observed following serum readdition. gamma-Thrombin was also an effective mitogen, but active site-inhibited alpha-thrombin was not. Both alpha- and gamma-thrombin, but not catalytic site-inhibited alpha-thrombin, initiated phosphatidylinositol turnover in vivo and increased phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate phospholipase C activity in vitro. Serum and insulin were potent CHO-K1-Ins cell mitogens, but neither triggered phosphatidylinositol turnover in vivo nor activated phospholipase C in vitro. The activation of phospholipase C plays a determinant role in thrombin-initiated cell cycle progression in Chinese hamster ovary cells, although other growth factor-signaling pathways exist that are independent of polyphosphoinositide catabolism.     

Gene amplification in a single cell cycle in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We have employed Chinese hamster ovary cells synchronized by mitotic selection to study the replication and amplification of the dihydrofolate reductase gene. Using bromodeoxyuridine to differentially label newly replicated DNA, we show that the dihydrofolate reductase gene is replicated during the first 2 h of S phase, a time when, at most, 10% of the total genome has been replicated. We find that a 6-h inhibition of DNA synthesis by hydroxyurea beginning 2 h after the initiation of S phase markedly increases the frequency with which cells become resistant to a 100-fold increment in methotrexate. When DNA synthesis resumes following removal of the hydroxyurea, virtually all of the DNA replicated prior to inhibition, including the dihydrofolate reductase gene, is rereplicated. Analysis of the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme content of cells 24 h after treatment with hydroxyurea using the fluorescence-activated cell sorter reveals a subset of cells with elevated dihydrofolate reductase. It is this subset that contains additional copies of the dihydrofolate reductase gene and from which emerge highly methotrexate-resistant cells. We propose that the initial event of amplification is the rereplication of a variable, but relatively large, amount of the genome. As cells are subsequently placed under selection, a number of processes, including recombination events and loss of nonselected DNA sequences occur, resulting in what appears as differential gene amplification.     

Surface polypeptides of the cultured Chinese hamster ovary cell.

The organization of the plasma membrane of logarithmically growing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) suspension cells has been probed using surface label techniques in conjunction with subcellular fractionation and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Five components of apparent molecular weights 137,000, 121,000, 97,000, 67,000, and 57,000 have been shown to be exposed at the outer surface of the cell. These components fully meet the criteria of being (a) reactive with two or more surface label reagents, (b) enriched in a purified plasma membrane fraction, and (c) sensitive to proteolytic digestion of intact cells. Three other components of molecular weights 200,000, 44,000 and 30,000 are also reactive with certain surface label reagents, but fail to meet other criteria for cell surface components. Two polypeptides of molecular weights 180,000 and 37,000 are substantially enriched in the plasma membrane fraction, but are unreactive with surface label reagents. The organization of the CHO cell membrane and the applicability of surface label techniques to cultured cell systems are discussed.     

The formation and stability of the hypusine containing protein in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Hypusine-containing protein identified as eukaryote initiation-translation factor 4D was labeled with [14C]spermidine in logarithmically growing Chinese hamster ovary cells. Radioautography of the cellular proteins separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed the label in a single protein of 18000 Mr. Time course analysis showed that this protein remained undegraded for up to 72 hours after its synthesis. Radioactivity present in the amino acid hypusine, isolated after acid hydrolysis, remained constant during the same period of time. These results indicate that the hypusine-containing protein has a long half-life.     

Cell cycle phase dependent productivity of a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell line

A Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line, CHO1-15₅₀₀, producing recombinant human tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) via the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) amplification system, was studied in batch culture. In this system both DHFR and tPA are under the control of the strong constitutive viral SV40 early promoter. Employing the cumulative viable cell-hour approach, the specific productivity of tPA had maxima in the lag (0.065 pg cell⁻¹ h⁻¹) and early decline (0.040 pg cell⁻¹ h⁻¹) population growth phases. The viable population was assigned into four subpopulations (G1, S, G2/M phase, and Apoptotic cells) using flow cytometric analysis. As expected, intracellular DHFR was maximally expressed during the S cell cycle phase. The production of tPA, however, was found to be a direct linear function of the G1 phase, with a subpopulation specific productivity of 0.080 pg c-h⁻¹. Productivity maxima in the lag and early decline corroborate the flow cytometric data, indicative that this recombinant tPA production occurs primarily in the G1 cell cycle phase, not the S phase. This suggests that endogenous regulatory mechanisms are important controlling influences on the production of recombinant tPA in this ovarian cell line. Productivity from recombinant cell lines cannot be inferred from either the plasmid construct or the host cell alone. Elucidation of the relationship between expression of recombinant protein and the cell cycle phases of the host cell is a major component of the characterization of the animal cell production system. This information facilitates rational process design, including operating mode, modelling and control, and medium formulation.     

Development of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line for recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene expression

Recombinant human adenovirus (rhAd) has been used extensively for functional protein expression in mammalian cells including those of human and nonhuman origin. High-level protein production by rhAd vectors is expected in their permissive host cells, such as the human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cell line. This is attributed primarily to the permissiveness of HEK293 to rhAd infection and their ability to support viral DNA replication by providing the missing El proteins. However, the HEK293 cells tend to suffer from cytopathic effect (CPE) as a result of virus replication. Under these circumstances, the host cell function is compromised and the culture viability will be reduced. Consequently, newly synthesized polypeptides may not be processed properly at posttranslational levels. Therefore, the usefulness of HEK293 cells for the expression of complex targets such as secreted proteins could be limited. In the search for a more robust cell line as a production host for rhAd expression vectors, a series of screening experiments was performed to isolate clones from Chinese hamster ovary-K1 (CHO-K1) cells. First, multiple rounds of infection of CHO-K1 cells were performed utilizing an rhAd expressing GFP. After each cycle of infection, a small population of CHO cells with high GFP levels was enriched by FACS. Second, individual clones more permissive to human adenovirus infection were isolated from the highly enriched subpopulation by serial dilution. A single clone, designated CHO-K1-C5, was found to be particularly permissive to rhAd infection than the parental pool and has served as a production host in the successful expression of several secreted proteins.     

Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant with defective down-regulation of low density lipoprotein receptors

A monensin-resistant clone (Monr-31) shows a related series of differences from its parental Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line in the cellular response to several ligands. The uptake and metabolism of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the mutant cells are defective. Accumulation of fluorescent-labeled LDL as well as internalization and degradation of 125I-LDL are greatly reduced in Monr-31 cells. The receptor number for LDL on the cell surface of Monr-31 is about one-third that for CHO cells, but affinity constants for both cell lines are similar. Electrophoretic analysis shows a slightly reduced molecular weight of LDL receptor in Monr-31 cells in comparison to that in CHO cells. The internalization index (internalization plus degradation per binding) of LDL of the mutant is about one-half that of CHO cells, suggesting a failure of internalization of LDL as well as LDL binding. Hybrids (hyb-1, -2, and -3) between CHO and Monr-31 cells show LDL binding and LDL internalization activities comparable to that of CHO cells, suggesting that the altered LDL response in Monr-31 cells is recessive. Addition of exogenous LDL to culture medium down-regulates the LDL receptor activity of CHO, hyb-2, and hyb-3 cells, whereas no such down-regulation is seen in Monr-31 cells. Probably as a result of the failure of down-regulation, the prominent inhibition of sterol synthesis from acetate and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase observed in CHO cells is scarcely detectable in Monr-31 cells. As a correlated result, sterol synthesis from acetate is 6-fold higher in the mutant. The failure of down-regulation of LDL receptors in Monr-31 cells is discussed in relation to the altered binding and internalization of LDL.     

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.     

Isolation of a temperature-sensitive variant Chinese hamster ovary cell line with a morphologically altered endocytic recycling compartment

We have enriched a mutagenized population of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells for those defective in endocytosis by selection for survival to treatment with transferrin (Tf)-ricin and Tf-diphtheria toxin conjugates. Surviving cells were screened with a fluorescently labeled Tf uptake assay to identify cells with mor-phologically aberrant endocytic phenotypes. One of the cell lines identified, B104-5, has a striking temperature-induced alteration in the morphology of its endocytic receptor recycling compartment. In parental cells the tightly clustered endocytic recycling compartment is located near the Golgi complex. In the mutant cells, following incubation at 40°C, this compartment appears fragmented and widely dispersed. Surprisingly, this alteration in the morphology of the recycling compartment has no effect on the kinetics of Tf internationalization and recycling. The wild-type endocytic compartment is closely aligned with the microtubule-organizing center and the Golgi apparatus, and like the Golgi, its clustered appearance is dependent upon intact microtubules. Although the disruption of the B104-5 receptor recycling compartment morphology can be phenocopied in wild-type cells by microtubule depolymerizing drugs, the microtubule cytoskeleton in B104-5 cells appears normal in immunofluorescent staining. B104-5 cells, unlike the parental cells, do not proliferate at 40°C. The mutation in B104-5 cells is recessive, as fusion with wild-type cells results in a reversion of the B104-5 phenotype. The finding that the morphology of the recycling compartment in CHO cells can be altered without affecting recycling of endocytosed Tf is consistent with the variety of recycling compartment morphologies observed among different cell lines. An interpretation of this result is that the lesion in B104-5 cells is in a gene that is involved in determining the endocytic compartment morphologies observed in different cell lines. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Internalization and degradation of insulin by a human insulin receptor-v-ros hybrid in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Chinese hamster ovary cell lines expressing either the wild-type human insulin receptor or a hybrid molecule in which the tyrosine kinase domain of the insulin receptor is replaced with that of the oncogene, v-ros were examined for their ability to internalize and degrade insulin. Cells expressing the hybrid receptor were found to internalize and degrade insulin at approximately half the rate of cells expressing the native insulin receptor. Moreover, insulin was incapable of inducing the internalization of the cell-surface hybrid molecule. In contrast, the constitutive rate of receptor internalization was found to be the same for the hybrid and wild-type receptors. These results obtained were similar to those with cells expressing either wild-type or mutant receptors lacking kinase activity. In conclusion, the substitution of the specificity of tyrosine kinase of the insulin receptor with that of the v-ros oncogene product results in defective internalization and degradation of insulin, and loss of ligand-induced receptor internalization.     

A Chinese hamster ovary cell histone deacetylase that is associated with a unique class of mononucleosomes

The chromatin-bound histone deacetylase of Chinese hamster ovary cells has been studied by using as a substrate an acetylated amino-terminal peptide of histone H4. These studies demonstrate that histone deacetylase activity is associated with mononucleosomes solubilized by digestion with micrococcal nuclease. The deacetylase activity remained bound to the nucleosomes, even in the presence of 1 M NaCl. This unique class of deacetylase-associated mononucleosomes is resolved from the major classes of mononucleosomes by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These mononucleosomes contain 290 and 190 base pair DNAs and demonstrate the presence of histone H1 and non-histones HMG-1 and HMG-2 and the absence of HMG-14 and HMG-17. They are further characterized by a specific acetylation pattern of histone H4 and likely represent a functionally important chromatin-DNA complex.