HYBRID MAMMALIAN-CELLS ASSEMBLE HYBRID RIBOSOMES

Hybrid cell lines formed by fusion of mouse 3T3 cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells resistant to emetine, which have an altered 40S ribosomal protein, are generally sensitive to emetine. From most hybrid lines it was possible to select sublines resistant to emetine. The ribosomal components of three lines were studied: A34, an emetine-sensitive hybrid; A34/R3, an emetine-resistant derivative of A34; and A72, an emetine-sensitive hybrid that did not give rise to emetine-resistant sublines. Genetic and biochemical evidence suggests that in A34 both the mouse emetine sensitivity gene and the hamster emetine resistance gene are active, whereas in A34/R3 only the hamster emetine resistance gene is active and in A72 only the mouse emetine sensitivity gene is active. The ribosomes of all three sublines contained both mouse and hamster RNA, predominantly mouse. However, the 60S subunits had roughly equal amounts of the three mouse and hamster proteins that could be distinguished by two-dimensional electrophoresis, suggesting the association of mouse RNA with hamster ribosomal proteins. The emetine-resistant and emetine-sensitive 40S subunits could be separated by sedimentation in 0.5 M KCl. Resistant subunits contained predominantly mouse RNA, presumably associated with the hamster protein conferring emetine resistance. We conclude that hybrid cells can form hybrid ribosomes and that the amounts of ribosomal RNA and ribosomal protein of each species are not closely coupled.