Dna-induced Pigment Production in a Hamster Cell Line

A immber of workers have demonstrated uptake of DNA by mammalian cells (1-6). At least some of the donor DNA appears to be incorporated intact into the nuclei of the host cells (3-6). However, very few investigators have reported genetic transformation of mammalian cells by mammalian DNA (7-9). Two cases which did indicate genetic transformation depended upon measuring the growth of drug-sensitive cells in the presence of drug, after they had been treated with DNA from drug-resistant cells (7, 8). A third study of genetic transformation involved an electrophoretic analysis of hemoglobin peptide chains in sickle cells which had been treated with DNA from normal bone marrow cells (9). In this study, we have at tempted to induce the appearance of pigment in amelanotic melanoma cells with DNA obtained from melanotic melanoma cells.