Isolation and characterization of mouse hepatocyte lines carrying a lethal albino deletion

Mice homozygous for chromosomal deletions at or around the albino locus on chromosome 7 express reduced levels of a group of liver genes, including tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and generally die perinatally. Sequences within the deleted region are thought to encode a regulatory factor(s) that affects expression of these genes in trans. To facilitate study of the putative factors, we immortalized hepatocytes derived from newborn cch wild-type and c14CoS deletion homozygous mice as well as cch/c14CoS heterozygous mice using a SV40 temperature-sensitive A255 mutant virus. Three c14CoS deletion homozygous hepatocyte lines were characterized and compared with the homozygous wild-type and heterozygous lines. The SV40 tsA255 mutant-transformed hepatocyte lines were temperature-sensitive for maintenance of transformation and expressed many liver-specific genes. In agreement with in vivo studies, hepatocyte lines derived from mice homozygous for the deletion expressed reduced mRNA levels of a number of liver genes including TAT, PEPCK, X1, X2, and X7 in comparison with heterozygous and wild-type cell lines. Similar mRNA levels of transferrin and albumin, genes whose expression is unaffected by the mutation in vivo, were observed in all cell lines. The expression of two genes, X5 and metallothionein, reported to be reduced in newborn mutant mice, did not differ appreciably among cell lines. TAT and PEPCK have been shown to respond poorly to glucocorticoids and cAMP in newborn mutant mice. Interestingly, all affected liver genes tested were responsive to glucocorticoids and dibutyryl cAMP in deletion homozygous cell lines as well as in wild-type and heterozygote-derived cell lines. This may suggest that effects of the deletion on expression of liver-specific genes do not cause loss of responsiveness to glucocorticoids and cAMP. These immortalized hepatocyte lines, which express most, if not all, liver-specific genes, should provide a useful means for further investigation of the effects of the albino lethal deletion.