Ribonuclease-sensitive endogenous DNA polymerase activity and DNA-directed DNA polymerase in human tissue culture cell lines.

chromatin-associated DNA-directed DNA polymerase activity, and the soluble RNase-sensitive endogenous DNA polymerase activity were examined in two fibroblast cell lines (WI-38 and WI-38VA13), in thirteen lymphoid cell lines originated from normal persons or from acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, Burkitt lymphoma, or multiple myeloma patients, and also in cells obtained directly from patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, or lymphosarcoma. RNase-sensitive endog enous DNA polymerase activity, which was 1/1000 to 1/10 of DNA-directed soluble DNA polymerase activity, was lowest in Wl-38 cells and highest in lymphoblasts from acute lymphocytic leukemia patients. The soluble and chromatinassociated DNA-directed DNA polymerase activity of WI38V13 cells, compared to that of WI-38 cells, and the activity of acute myelocytic leukemia, Burkitt lymphoma, and multiple myeloma cells, compared to that of normal cells, were two to ten times higher; in contrast, the activity of cells of acute lymphocytic leukemia or lymphosarcoma origin was one-third to one-half that of normal cells.