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Regulation of the synthesis of human chorionic gonadotropin by strains of HeLa cells in culture

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Thirty-seven strains of HeLa cells were examined for their ability to synthesize human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its alpha subunit (hCG-α) in culture. Synthesis of hCG-α and hCG also was investigated in the presence of sodium butyrate and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd). All HeLa strains synthesized hCG-α in culture. Sodium butyrate increased the synthesis of hCG-α in all HeLa cells; BrdUrd increased synthesis in 32 of the 37 strains examined. Although few HeLa strains synthesized hCG in the absence of inducers, hCG was detected in most strains in the presence of sodium butyrate. The synthesis of hCG and its alpha subunit is, therefore, a stable genetic characteristics of HeLa cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section on Developmental Enzymology, Laboratory of Biomedical Sciences, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 20014, Bethesda, Maryland

    Janice Yang Chou

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  1. Janice Yang Chou
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Additional information

Certain preparations of hCG and its subunits were generously provided through the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH.

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Chou, J.Y. Regulation of the synthesis of human chorionic gonadotropin by strains of HeLa cells in culture. In Vitro 14, 775–778 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02617971

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