Work

Extrachromosomal and Chromosomal Gene Conversion in Mammalian Cells

Year: 1986

Type: article

Abstract: We constructed substrates to study gene conversion in mammalian cells specifically without the complication of reciprocal recombination events. These substrates contain both an insertion mutation of the neomycin resistance gene (neoX) and an internal, homologous fragment of the neo gene (neo-526), such that gene conversion from neo-526 to neoX restores a functional neo gene. Although two reciprocal recombination events can also produce an intact neo gene, these double recombination events occur much less frequently that gene conversion in mammalian cells, We used our substrates to characterize extrachromosomal gene conversion in recombination-deficient bacteria and in monkey COS cells. Chromosomal recombination was also studied after stable integration of these substrates into the genome of mouse 3T6 cells. All extrachromosomal and chromosomal recombination events analyzed in mammalian cells resulted from gene conversion. Chromosomal gene conversion events occurred at frequencies of about 10(-6) per cell generation and restored a functional neo gene without overall effects on sequence organization.

Source: Molecular and Cellular Biology

DOI: 10.1128/mcb.6.5.1608

Authors: J Rubnitz, S Subramani

Institution: University of California San Diego

Language: English

Topic: DNA Repair Mechanisms

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Searle Scholars Program, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Award: G712794427