Transcriptional control of the expression of mouse globin genes in myeloma x erythroleukemia cell hybrids.

Fusions were made between thymidine kinase deficient (TK-) Friend Cells inducible for hemoglobin production, and immunoglobulin-producing, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient (HGPRT-) myeloma cells. Hybrids were selected in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) and identified by isozyme analysis and chromosome counts. All hybrids resembled the myeloma cell line in mode of growth and were immunoglobulin secretors. All hybrids did not express hemoglobin and were uninducible for hemoglobin production with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Hybridization of genomic globin DNA probes with hybrid-derived nuclear and cytoplasmic mRNAs blotted to nitrocellulose filter indicated that lack of expression of the globin genes in the hybrids was due to lack of transcription.