J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 262, Issue 8, 3739-3745, Mar, 1987
Promoter-glutathione S-transferase Ya cDNA hybrid genes. Expression and conferred resistance to an alkylating molecule in mammalian cells
TH Manoharan, RB Puchalski, JA Burgess, CB Pickett and WE Fahl
Promoter-glutathione S-transferase Ya cDNA hybrid genes were constructed
and analyzed to determine the efficiency with which the Ya coding sequence
was transcribed and also to determine the associated levels of Ya-specific
enzyme activity in mammalian cells which had received the hybrid gene
constructs via electroporation. Promoter- containing fragments from either
the SV40 early region or the herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene were
positioned 5' to the Ya cDNA present in the pGTB38 plasmid. Both promoters
supported transcription in in vitro run-off incubations containing a rat
cell extract. Efficient transcription was also observed in both monkey Cos
cells and mouse C3H/10T1/2 cells. Constructs containing the SV40 promoter
and a residual portion of the homopolymeric G tail used in the original Ya
cDNA cloning consistently gave 4-50-fold higher levels of transcript than
other promoter-cDNA configurations. Associated with transcription of the
hybrid gene was the appearance of a glutathione S-transferase YaYa-specific
enzyme activity (delta 5-androstene-3,17-dione isomerization) in cytosols
of cells electroporated with the hybrid genes. 50-260-fold increases in
Ya-specific enzyme activity were found in Cos or C3H/10T1/2 cells
containing multiple, episomal copies of the plasmid constructs; enzyme
levels dropped in cells containing fewer, integrated plasmid copies. When a
mixed population of Cos cells containing YaYa overexpressing cells was
treated with benzo(a)pyrene (+/-)-anti-diol epoxide, a cytotoxic alkylating
molecule and known YaYa substrate, a 20-30-fold enrichment in clones of
YaYa overexpressing cells was seen among those cells which survived the
treatment. The results clearly indicate that glutathione S-transferase
isozymes can be overexpressed in mammalian cells and that this is
accompanied by significant biological resistance to a known alkylating
molecule.