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J L Hamlin

Publications and source records attributed to J L Hamlin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Activation of a mammalian origin of replication by chromosomal rearrangement.

The methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell line DC3F/A3-4K (A3/4K) contains at least two prominent dihydrofolate reductase amplicon types. The type I amplicons, constituting approximately 80% of the total, are at least 650 kb in length, but the endpoints have not yet been characterized. The type II sequences represent approximately 20% of amplicons, are 450 kb in length, and are arranged as alternating head-to-head and tail-to-tail repeats. In previous studies on the CHOC 400 line, in which the amplicons are much smaller, a replication initiation locus (ori-beta/ori-gamma) has been shown to reside downstream from the dihydrofolate reductase gene. In a more recent study on the larger amplicons of A3/4K cells, we detected an additional initiation locus (ori-alpha) lying approximately 240 kb upstream from ori-beta/ori-gamma. Interestingly, in vivo labelling experiments suggested that replication forks diverge from ori-alpha only in the downstream direction. This finding suggested either that ori-alpha is a unidirectional origin or that a terminus lies immediately upstream from ori-alpha. However, in this study, we show that ori-alpha is actually very close to the head-to-head palindromic junction sequence between the minor type II amplicons in A3/4K cells; furthermore, ori-alpha is active in the early S period in the type II amplicons but not in the larger type I sequences that lack this palindromic junction. This is the first direct demonstration in mammalian cells that a cryptic origin can be activated by chromosomal rearrangement, presumably by deleting negative regulatory elements or by creating a more favorable chromosomal milieu for initiation.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Initiation of DNA replication in the dihydrofolate reductase locus is confined to the early S period in CHO cells synchronized with the plant amino acid mimosine.

In previous studies, we used two complementary two-dimensional gel electrophoretic methods to examine replication intermediates in the 240-kb amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain of methotrexate-resistant CHOC 400 cells (J. P. Vaughn, P. A. Dijkwel, and J. L. Hamlin, Cell 61:1075-1087, 1990). Surprisingly, in both asynchronous and early-S-phase cultures, initiation bubbles were detected in several contiguous fragments from a previously defined 28-kb initiation locus. However, because of the low levels of bubblelike structures observed on gels, it has been suggested that these structures might represent artifacts, possibly unrelated to replication per se. In this study, we have achieved much more synchronous entry into S phase by using a novel inhibitor and have isolated replication intermediates by a new procedure that largely eliminates branch migration and shear. Under these conditions, we find that (i) the relative number of bubblelike structures detected in fragments from the initiation locus is markedly increased, (ii) bubbles are detected at multiple sites scattered throughout the region lying between the DHFR and 2BE2121 genes, and (iii) bubbles appear and disappear in this region with the kinetics expected of an early-firing origin. These data strengthen the proposal that in vivo, initiation can occur at any of a large number of sites scattered throughout a broad zone in the DHFR domain.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Initiation of replication in mammalian chromosomes.

Mammalian origins of replication are scattered at about 100-kb intervals along each chromosomal DNA fiber. It is not known whether origins are genetically defined sequences analogous to those that control initiation of replication in microorganisms. Since the advent of recombinant DNA techniques, it has become possible to search for origins in defined chromosomal domains. A variety of methods have suggested that nascent chains initiate at preferred locations on the chromosome, but there is some disagreement as to how precisely defined these initiation sites are.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Origins of replication: timing and chromosomal position.

Several new methods have been used to localize replication initiation sites in mammalian chromosomes. The results of these studies argue strongly for the presence of defined sequence elements that function much like the origins in the genomes of simple microorganisms. However, relatively disparate results from in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that initiation reactions in mammalian chromosomes may have unique features, possibly related to a more complicated chromosomal architecture.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Mapping of replication initiation sites in mammalian genomes by two-dimensional gel analysis: stabilization and enrichment of replication intermediates by isolation on the nuclear matrix.

Two complementary two-dimensional gel electrophoretic techniques have recently been developed that allow initiation sites to be mapped with relative precision in eukaryotic genomes at least as complex as those of yeast and Drosophila melanogaster. We reported the first application of these mapping methods to a mammalian genome in a study on the amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain of the methotrexate-resistant CHO cell line CHOC 400 (J.P. Vaughn, P.A. Dijkwel, and J.L. Hamlin, Cell 61:1075-1087, 1990). Our results suggested that in this 240-kb domain, initiation of nascent DNA strands occurs at many sites within a 30- to 35-kb zone mapping immediately downstream from the DHFR gene. In the course of these studies, it was necessary to develop methods to stabilize replication intermediates against branch migration and shear. This report describes these stabilization methods in detail and presents a new enrichment protocol that extends the neutral/neutral two-dimensional gel mapping method to single-copy loci in mammalian cells. Preliminary analysis of replication intermediates purified from CHO cells by this method suggests that DNA synthesis may initiate at many sites within a broad zone in the single-copy DHFR locus as well.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Replication initiates in a broad zone in the amplified CHO dihydrofolate reductase domain.

We have used two complementary two-dimensional gel electrophoretic methods to localize replication inititation sites and to determine replication fork direction in the amplified 240 kb dihydrofolate reductase domain of the methotrexate-resistant CHO cell line CHOC 400. Surprisingly, our analysis indicates that replication begins at many sites in several restriction fragments distributed throughout a previously defined 28 kb initiation locus, including a fragment containing a matrix attachment region. Initiation sites were not detected in regions lying upstream or downstream of this locus. Our results suggest that initiation reactions in mammalian chromosomal origins may be more complex than in the origins of simple microorganisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Replication forks are associated with the nuclear matrix.

It has been proposed that DNA in eukaryotic cells is synthesized via replication complexes that are fixed to a proteinaceous nuclear matrix. This model has not been universally accepted because the matrix and its associated DNA are usually prepared under hypertonic conditions that could facilitate non-specific aggregation of macromolecules. We therefore investigated whether different ionic conditions can significantly affect the association of nascent DNA with the nuclear matrix in cultured mammalian cells. Matrices were prepared either by a high salt method or by hypotonic or isotonic LIS extraction. Chromosomal DNA was subsequently removed by digestion with either DNAse I or EcoRI. With all methods of preparation, we found that newly synthesized DNA preferentially partitioned with the nuclear matrix. Furthermore, when the matrix-attached DNA fraction was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we found that it was markedly enriched for replication forks. We therefore conclude that attachment of DNA to the matrix in the vicinity of replication forks is not induced by conditions of high ionic strength, and that replication may, indeed, occur on or near the skeletal framework provided by the nuclear matrix. From a practical standpoint, our findings suggest a strategy for greatly increasing the sensitivity of two important new gel electrophoretic methods for the direct mapping of replication fork movement through defined chromosomal domains in mammalian cells.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1990

Repetitive sequence elements in an initiation locus of the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain in CHO cells.

We have previously demonstrated that one of the replication initiation loci in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain of Chinese hamster cells contains a repeated sequence that is enriched in the early-replicating fraction of the Chinese hamster genome. Here we present the sequence of the initiation locus, identify the relevant repeated element, and show that, while this element is enriched in early-replicating DNA, its synthesis is not confined to early S.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Multiple origins of replication in the dihydrofolate reductase amplicons of a methotrexate-resistant chinese hamster cell line.

We recently showed that replication initiates in the early S period at two closely spaced zones in the 240-kilobase (kb) dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) amplicon of the methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line CHOC 400. Both of these initiation loci (ori-beta and ori-gamma) have previously been cloned in a recombinant cosmid. In this study, we identified a third early-firing initiation locus (ori-alpha) in the much larger DHFR amplicon of the independently isolated methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell line DC3F-A3/4K (A3/4K). We describe the molecular cloning of this newly identified locus and demonstrate by chromosomal walking that ori-alpha lies approximately 240 kb upstream from ori-beta. Using overlapping cosmid clones for more than 450 kb of DNA sequence from this region of the DHFR domain, we have monitored the replication pattern of the amplicons in synchronized A3/4K cells. These studies suggest that ori-alpha, ori-beta, and ori-gamma are the only early-firing initiation sites in this 450-kb sequence. In addition, we have been able to roughly localize the termini between ori-alpha and ori-beta and between ori-alpha and the next origin in the 5' direction. Thus, we have now isolated the equivalent of three early-firing replicons (including their origins) from a well-characterized chromosomal domain. With these tools, it should be possible to determine those properties that are shared by the origins and termini of different replicons and which are therefore likely to be functionally significant.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Early dihydrofolate reductase gene amplification events in CHO cells usually occur on the same chromosome arm as the original locus.

We used fluorescence in situ hybridization to examine the products of early DNA sequence amplification events in CHO cells. Nine independent populations of cells were selected for resistance to 0.4 microM methotrexate (MTX), and mitotic chromosome spreads were hybridized to a mixture of cloned cosmids representing approximately 273 kb of contiguous DNA sequence from the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) locus. Of the nine populations, eight contain cells that have amplified the DHFR domain. Cells in the remaining population displayed only the two single-copy loci on chromosomes 2 and Z2. Of the eight amplificants, one carries amplified DHFR genes on chromosome 2, six on chromosome Z2, and one on an unidentified chromosome. Some cultures carry additional amplified genes on other chromosomes, probably resulting from bridge/breakage/fusion cycles or translocations. In six of the eight amplificants, both single-copy parental loci are detected at their original positions, and amplicon clusters are situated at least 50 megabases (Mb) away on the same chromosome arm, often at the termini. Amplification occurred at or close to the original site of the DHFR gene in only one population. Our results are not consistent with models in which initial amplification events occur by over-replication of the parental locus followed by recombination in loco. Because amplified DHFR sequences occur most often on the same chromosome arm as the parental DHFR gene but at a considerable distance from it, our results are most compatible with either sister chromatid exchange between widely separated sites or with a form of conservative intrachromosomal duplication analogous to transposition in bacteria.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

High-resolution mapping of replication fork movement through the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain in CHO cells by in-gel renaturation analysis.

Utilizing an in vivo labeling method on synchronized cultures, we have previously defined a 28-kilobase (kb) replication initiation locus in the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain of a methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHOC 400) (N. H. Heintz and J. L. Hamlin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79:4083-4087, 1982; N. H. Heintz and J. L. Hamlin, Biochemistry 22:3552-3557, 1983; N. H. Heintz, J. D. Milbrandt, K. S. Greisen, and J. L. Hamlin, Nature [London] 302:439-441, 1983). To locate the origin of replication in this 243-kb amplicon with more precision, we used an in-gel renaturation procedure (I. Roninson, Nucleic Acids Res. 11:5413-5431, 1983) to examine the labeling pattern of restriction fragments from the amplicon in the early S phase. This method eliminates background labeling from single-copy sequences and allows quantitation of the relative radioactivity in individual fragments. We used this procedure to follow the movement of replication forks through the amplicons, to roughly localize the initiation locus, and to estimate the rate of fork travel. We also used a slight modification of this method (termed hybridization enhancement) to illuminate the labeling pattern of smaller restriction fragments derived solely from the initiation locus itself, thereby increasing resolution. Our preliminary results suggest that there are actually two distinct initiation sites in the amplicon that are separated by approximately 22 kb.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Replication in the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain in CHO cells may initiate at two distinct sites, one of which is a repetitive sequence element.

To study initiation of DNA replication in mammalian chromosomes, we have established a methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHOC 400) that contains approximately 1,000 copies of the early replicating dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain. We have previously shown that DNA replication in the prevalent 243-kilobase (kb) amplicon type in this cell line initiates somewhere within a 28-kb region located downstream from the DHFR gene. In an attempt to localize the origin of replication with more precision, we blocked the progress of replication forks emanating from origins at the beginning of the S phase by the introduction of trioxsalen cross-links at 1- to 5-kb intervals in the parental double-stranded DNA. The small DNA fragments synthesized under these conditions (which should be centered around replication origins) were then used as hybridization probes on digests of cosmids and plasmids from the DHFR domain. These studies suggested that in cells synchronized by this regimen, DNA replication initiates at two separate sites within the previously defined 28-kb replication initiation locus, in general agreement with results described in the accompanying paper (T.-H. Leu and J. L. Hamlin, Mol. Cell. Biol. 9:523-531, 1989). One of these sites contains a repeated DNA sequence element that is found at or near many other initiation sites in the genome, since it was also highly enriched in the early replicating DNA isolated from cross-linked CHO cells that contain only two copies of the DHFR domain.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Identification and characterization of a gene that is coamplified with dihydrofolate reductase in a methotrexate-resistant CHO cell line.

As part of an effort to characterize the spatial and functional relationships among genetic elements within the amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain in Chinese hamster cells, we have used a variation of the differential hybridization approach to identify cDNA clones whose genes are coamplified with DHFR in the methotrexate-resistant cell line, CHOC 400. Our initial screen was successful in isolating both DHFR and non-DHFR cDNAs. One of the non-DHFR cDNA clones, 2BE2121, hybridizes on Northern (RNA) blots to abundant 1,200- and 1,500-nucleotide (nt) transcripts which differ in the lengths of their 3' untranslated regions. The clone 2BE2121 contains a 789-nt open reading frame but does not appear to be related to any members of the protein or nucleic acid sequence databases. A second larger non-DHFR cDNA, II-19-211, was isolated that is transcribed from the same gene as 2BE2121 but contains only a small carboxyl-terminal portion of the open reading frame. II-19-211 may, therefore, represent either a splicing intermediate or an mRNA transcribed from a cryptic intragenic promoter. Hybridization to cosmids from the DHFR domain shows that 2BE2121 is encoded by a gene approximately 34 kilobases (kb) long. The 5'-most genomic fragment is less than 4 kb from an interamplicon junction. The 3' end of the 2BE2121 gene lies approximately 75 kb downstream from the DHFR gene and approximately 25 kb downstream from the proximal replication initiation site, and the transcriptional polarity is opposite to that of the leading strand of replication. Thus, both the DHFR and 2BE2121 genes are exceptions to the theory that transcription proceeds in the same direction as the leading strand of the replication fork.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

The dihydrofolate reductase amplicons in different methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell lines share at least a 273-kilobase core sequence, but the amplicons in some cell lines are much larger and are remarkably uniform in structure.

We have previously cloned and characterized two different dihydrofolate reductase amplicon types from a methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHOC 400). The largest of these (the type I amplicon) is 273 kilobases (kb) in length. In the present study, we utilized clones from the type I amplicon as probes to analyze the size and variability of the amplified DNA sequences in five other independently isolated methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell lines. Our data indicated that the predominant amplicon types in all but one of these cell lines are larger than the 273-kb type I sequence. In-gel renaturation experiments as well as hybridization analysis of large SfiI fragments separated by pulse-field gradient gel electrophoresis showed that two highly resistant cell lines (A3 and MK42) have amplified very homogeneous core sequences that are estimated to be at least 583 and 653 kb in length, respectively. Thus, the sizes of the major amplicon types can be different in different drug-resistant Chinese hamster cell lines. However, there appears to be less heterogeneity in size and sequence arrangement within a given methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster cell line than has been reported for several other examples of DNA sequence amplification in mammalian systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Matrix attachment regions are positioned near replication initiation sites, genes, and an interamplicon junction in the amplified dihydrofolate reductase domain of Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Genomic DNA in higher eucaryotic cells is organized into a series of loops, each of which may be affixed at its base to the nuclear matrix via a specific matrix attachment region (MAR). In this report, we describe the distribution of MARs within the amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain (amplicon) in the methotrexate-resistant CHO cell line CHOC 400. In one experimental protocol, matrix-attached and loop DNA fractions were prepared from matrix-halo structures by restriction digestion and were analyzed for the distribution of amplicon sequences between the two fractions. A second, in vitro method involved the specific binding to the matrix of cloned DNA fragments from the amplicon. Both methods of analysis detected a MAR in the replication initiation locus that we have previously defined in the DHFR amplicon, as well as in the 5'-flanking region of the DHFR gene. The first of these methods also suggests the presence of a MAR in a region mapping approximately 120 kilobases upstream from the DHFR gene. Each of these MARs was detected regardless of whether the matrix-halo structures were prepared by the high-salt or the lithium 3,5-diiodosalicylate extraction protocols, arguing against their artifactual association with the proteinaceous scaffolding of the nucleus during isolation procedures. However, the in vitro binding assay did not detect the MAR located 120 kilobases upstream from the DHFR gene but did detect specific matrix attachment of a sequence near the junction between amplicons. The results of these experiments suggest that (i) MARs can occur next to different functional elements in the genome, with the result that a DNA loop formed between two MARs can be smaller than a replicon; and (ii) different methods of analysis detect a somewhat different spectrum of matrix-attached DNA fragments.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Organization and genesis of dihydrofolate reductase amplicons in the genome of a methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line.

We have recently isolated overlapping recombinant cosmids that represent the equivalent of two complete dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) amplicon types from the methotrexate-resistant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line CHOC 400. In the work described in this report, we used pulse-field gradient gel electrophoresis to analyze large SfiI restriction fragments arising from the amplified dhfr domains. The junction between the 260-kilobase type I amplicons (which are arranged in head-to-tail configurations in the genome) has been localized, allowing the construction of a linear map of the parental dhfr locus. We also show that the 220-kilobase type II amplicons are arranged as inverted repeat structures in the CHOC 400 genome and arose from the type I sequence relatively early in the amplification process. Our data indicate that there are a number of minor amplicon types in the CHOC 400 cell line that were not detected in previous studies; however, the type II amplicons represent ca. 75% of all the amplicons in the CHOC 400 genome. Both the type I and type II amplicons are shown to be composed entirely of sequences that were present in the parental dhfr locus. Studies of less resistant cell lines show that initial amplicons can be larger than those observed in CHOC 400. Once established, a given amplicon type appears to be relatively stable throughout subsequent amplification steps. We also present a modification of an in-gel renaturation method that gives a relatively complete picture of the size and variability of amplicons in the genome.

Animals↗