Generation and characterization of an immortal cell line of xeroderma pigmentosum group E

Xeroderma pigmentosum group E (XP-E) fibroblasts (XP95TO) were transformed with pSV3neo. Selection in medium containing G418 yielded 14 clones with extended life span. Following crisis, one clone was recovered that behaved in culture as an immortal cell line and was named XPET6/1. Expression of the SV40 large T antigen gene (Tag) and increased level of p53 were demonstrated by western analyses. Fingerprinting with 14 polymorphic microsatellite genetic markers confirmed that XPET6/1 originated from the parental strain XP95TO. XPET6/1 retained the sensitivity to killing by UV observed with the parental strain. Cell-free extracts from the immortal or the parental XP-E cells were deficient in excision, compared to extracts from HeLa or extracts from Tag-transformed XP variant fibroblasts. Complementation of XP-E extracts with XP-A, XP-D or XP-G extracts restored nucleotide excision activity to normal levels. XPET6/1 could prove a useful cell line for cloning of the XPE gene by functional complementation.