Transfer of genetic information by purified metaphase chromosomes.

Transfer of genetic information from isolated mammalian chromosomes to recipient cells has been demonstrated. Metaphase chromosomes isolated from Chinese hamster fibroblasts were incubated with mouse A(9) cells containing a mutation at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) locus. Cells were plated in a selective medium, resulting in death of all unaltered parental A(9) cells. However, colonies of cells containing hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (EC 2.4.2.8) appeared with a variable frequency of about 10(-6) to 10(-7). The enzyme from these cells was indistinguishable from that from Chinese hamster cells, as shown by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and gel electrophoresis, and differed clearly from the mouse enzyme. The colonies, thus, did not result from reversion of A(9) parental cells to wild type, but appeared to represent progeny of individual cells that had ingested chromosomes, replicated, and expressed the hprt gene. These colonies differed from each other in stability of expression of the transferred gene.