Isolation of parafluorophenylalanine-resistant mutants from HeLa cell cultures

Abstract

This report describes a method to isolate temperature-conditional phenylalanine transport mutants from the transformed human cell line HeLa. Using ultraviolet light as a mutagenic agent and dl-parafluorophenylalanine (PFPA), a poisonous analogue of l-phenylalanine, as a selective agent, mutagenized cells were selected for survival in the presence of PFPA at a temperature of 39° C. Survivors of the mutagenesis and selection procedures were removed from the culture dishes by trypsin and cloned at a temperature of 35° C. Seven of these lines isolated demonstrated continued resistance to PFPA at 39° C. These lines were tested for uptake of l-phenylalanine at an external concentration of 100 µm and for continued resistance to PFPA at two concentrations. Cells were tested at 35 and at 39° C. The data were compared to those obtained for the parental HeLa cell line under identical conditions. The seven mutant cell lines demonstrated varying resistances to PFPA and varying levels of accumulation of l-phenylalanine when tested at 35 and 39° C. Three mutant lines were additionally tested for l-phenylalanine tRNA charging levels and for transport of l-arginine. The lines had parental cell levels of tRNA charging and l-arginine transport which suggest that the induced genetic defect affects a specific l-phenylalanine transport system.