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L Sanders-Haigh

Publications and source records attributed to L Sanders-Haigh.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Human globin gene expression in hybrid 2S MEL X human fibroblast cells.

A somatic cell hybrid line, called M11-X, was developed in order to study the expression and regulation of the human beta-like globin genes in a mouse erythroid environment. M11-X cells were obtained by fusing the human fibroblast cell line GM3552 (which contains the translocation chromosome t(11;X) that carries the human beta-like globin genes) with hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) -negative tetraploid (2S) mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. After induction with 5 mM hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), these cells contain approximately 300-600 copies per cell of correctly initiated, processed, and terminated human beta-globin mRNA; however, neither human epsilon- nor gamma-globin mRNAs were detected. Carboxymethylcellulose chromatography followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting revealed that normal human beta-globin protein was also present. These results suggest that the human beta-globin gene, when present in mouse erythroid cells, can be transcribed and its mRNA translated into normal products, but at a much lower level than the mouse beta-globin genes. Analysis of the frequency of cytosine methylation near the human gamma-globin genes indicated that these genes are heavily methylated in M11-X cells. The inability to express the human gamma-globin genes of these cells might be accounted for, at least in part, by DNA methylation.

Animals↗

Globin gene expression in somatic cell hybrids.

Fusions between somatic cell lines have previously yielded evidence for the existence of trans-acting gene regulatory factors. For this reason, we developed a cell line containing a "locked in" human 11-X translocation chromosome (containing the beta-globin-like gene cluster) in MEL cells. The human 11-X chromosome is stably integrated in the "M11-X" cell line, and single-copy human gamma and beta genes are present. After induction with HMBA, M11-X cells produced 500 copies per cell of correctly initiated, processed, and terminated human beta-globin mRNA; authentic human beta-globin chains were also produced at a low level. Despite the presence of normally arranged human gamma-globin genes, no gamma-globin mRNA could be detected after HMBA induction. However, cytosine residues near the gamma-globin gene promoters are completely methylated in these cells, suggesting that the gamma-globin genes may be repressed in part by DNA methylation. The pattern of human globin gene expression in M11-X cells may be affected by methylation and/or by trans-acting factors produced by these tetraploid cells.

Animals↗

Regulation of human globin gene expression in mouse erythroleukemia x human fibroblast hybrid cells.

A somatic cell hybrid, XX-8, was obtained from a fusion of tetraploid mouse erythroleukemia cells with human Lesch-Nyhan skin fibroblasts. This hybrid cell was previously shown (1) to produce human beta- but no human gamma-globin mRNA sequences after induction with dimethylsulfoxide. In this study we show that: (a) human beta- and gamma-globin genes are present in XX-8 cells in approximately equal numbers; (b) no human gamma-globin mRNA sequences can be detected in either the cytoplasmic or nuclear RNA fractions even with several different inducers; (c) after induction the human beta-globin gene is converted from a DNase I insensitive or closed structure to a DNase I open configuration, while the human gamma-globin gene remains closed; and (d) no human beta-globin polypeptide can be detected in the intact induced cells, indicating that fibroblast globin genes, even when induced to make mRNA in an erythroid environment, do not synthesize an RNA that is translated efficiently.

Acetamides↗

Recovery of recombinant bacterial plasmids from E. coli transformed with DNA from microinjected mouse cells.

We have previously described the isolation of thymidine kinase positive (TK+), human beta-globin gene-containing colonies following co-microinjection of mouse TK- L cells with two recombinant pBR322 plasmids, one containing the TK gene of herpes simplex virus type I (plasmid pXl), and the second containing a human genomic DNA fragment within which is the human beta-globin gene (plasmid pRKl). DNA isolated from one such clone was used in bacterial transformation experiments with a selection for tetracycline-resistant colonies (that is, for cells containing pRKl). A total of forty-two tetracycline-resistant colonies were isolated, thirty of which contained circular pRK1 molecules identical to those originally injected. The remaining twelve colonies contained unique plasmids that were grouped into five different classes of recombinant molecules. All five of these unique recombinant classes appear to contain a common deletion endpoint occurring at a specific region of the pBR322 segment of pRKl. Four of the unique recombinant classes appear to have arisen from the deletion of a segment of a pRKl trimer or dimer molecule, while the fifth class appears to have resulted from recombination between pRKl and pXl followed by a deletion event within this recombinant. It is uncertain whether these deletions are occurring within the eukaryotic cell or upon subsequent transformation of the bacterial cell. If the latter, then the passage of the plasmid DNA through the eukaryotic cell alters a specific site of the pBR322 DNA in such a way that deletions can occur at a high frequency in this region when the plasmid DNA is introduced back into a bacterial cell. Thus, we have established a prokaryote-eukaryote-prokaryote DNA transfer and recovery system which should be useful in studies on DNA replication and the regulation of gene expression in higher eukaryotes.

Animals↗

The beta-globin gene is on the short arm of human chromosome 11.

Investigations on the regulation of human globin gene expression are assisted by a knowledge of the chromosomal location of the globin genes. Previous studies have mapped the alpha-globin locus to human chromosome (HC) 16, and have shown that the human globin gene complex gamma-delta-beta co-segregates with lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A) and the presence of HC 11 in somatic cell hybrids. Radioactively labelled globin complementary DNA (cDNA) probes were used in molecular hybridisation experiments to determine the chromosomal locations of the alpha- and beta-globin genes. When human x rodent somatic cell hybrids are used which contain well-defined parts of human chromosomes, direct mapping of genes of chromosomal regions or single bands is possible. We have regionally localised the human beta-globin gene using two sets of hybrid cell lines: (1) Chinese hamster x human hybrid cells containing the HC 11 long arm or both the short and long arms and (2) mouse x human hybrids containing only the HC 11 short arm. The techniques of liquid molecular hybridisation and Southern blotting with 32P-labelled human beta-globin cDNA (from plasmid JW102) have been used to localise the beta-globin gene sequence to region 11p11 leads to 11p15. Similar results were reported recently by Jeffreys et al.

Chromosomes, Human, 6-12 and X↗

Replication and expression of thymidine kinase and human globin genes microinjected into mouse fibroblasts.

A mixture of two recombinant plasmids was microinjected into mouse thymidine kinase-negative fibroblasts (L cells). One plasmid contained the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type I and the other contained the human beta globin gene. Seven fibroblast colonies arising from injected cells incubated in hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine medium were analyzed. These microinjected cells were shown to: (i) produce functionally active herpes simplex type I thymidine kinase enzyme, (ii) replicate the human beta globin gene, and (iii) produce human beta globin mRNA sequences at low levels. Thus, the genetic defect (lack of thymidine kinase activity) was corrected by the microinjected thymidine kinase gene, and a coinjected human beta globin gene was replicated and weakly expressed.

Animals↗