Treatment of a 5-bromodeoxyuridine-resistant (brdUrdr) and prolactin-nonproducing (Prl-) subclone of GH cells with this drug led to amplification of the prolactin (Prl) gene and induced Prl synthesis. Withdrawal of the drug treatment reversed both of these processes. In normal rats, the increased Prl synthesis observed during late pregnancy and lactation does not seem to be mediated via amplification of the gene. Amplification of the Prl gene and induction of Prl synthesis can also be observed in the Prl-, brdUrd-sensitive (brdUrds) GH cell strain. Prl gene amplification thus does not seem to be associated with the mechanism that confers the brdUrdr phenotype to these cells. brdUrd-induced amplification of the Prl gene can be identified with the low molecular weight, extrachromosomal, supernatant DNA fraction, isolated by Hirt's method. Southern blot analysis of Hirt's supernatant DNA (undigested) from brdUrd-treated cells generated a distinct band following hybridization with [32P]pDNAPrl-insert. The size of this band is greater than 23 kb but smaller than chromosomal DNA. Growth hormone (Gh) and albumin (Alb) gene sequences can be detected in the chromosomal DNA preparation but are absent in the extrachromosomal DNA prepared from Hirt's supernatant. The levels of Gh and Alb sequences are unaffected by brdUrd treatment of these cells. Results presented here suggest that in rat pituitary glands as well as in GH cells, hormonally controlled increased Prl synthesis is not caused by gene amplification. However, the brdUrd-induced expression of the Prl gene seems to be linked to the mechanism of drug-induced amplification of the Prl gene, mediated via an extrachromosomal event.

Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) treatment of the prolactin nonproducing subclone of GH cells (rat pituitary tumor cells) induces amplification of a 20-kilobase DNA fragment including all of the prolactin gene coding sequences. This amplified DNA segment, which is flanked by two unamplified regions, thus designates a unit of BrdUrd-induced amplified sequence. Cloned DNA segments, 10.3 kilobases long, from the 5' end of the rat prolactin gene of BrdUrd-responsive and -nonresponsive cells, were ligated to the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1TK), and the hybrid DNA was transferred to thymidine kinase-deficient mouse fibroblast cells by transfection. The HSV1TK gene and the rat prolactin gene were amplified together in drug-treated transfectants carrying the hybrid DNA HSV1TK gene and rat prolactin gene of BrdUrd-responsive GH cells. These results suggest that the 10.3-kilobase DNA segment at the 5' end of the rat prolactin gene of BrdUrd-responsive GH cells carries the information for drug-induced gene amplification (amplicon) and that another gene, such as the HSV1TK gene, is also amplified when the latter is placed adjacent to this segment.

The thymidine analog, 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd), induces prolactin (Prl) synthesis and Prl gene amplification in a subclone of GH cells (rat pituitary tumor cells in culture). Withdrawal of drug treatment reverses both processes. Our previous results show that Prl gene amplification is associated with an event involving extrachromosomal DNA. The results presented in this report show that a 20-kb length of DNA, including all the coding sequences of the Prl gene, is amplified following BrdUrd treatment of this strain of GH cells. Amplification of DNA sequences extends about 3 kb upstream from the 5' end and about 7 kb downstream from the 3' end of the Prl gene. The DNA sequences immediately adjacent to these 5'-and 3'-flanking regions of the Prl gene are not affected by BrdUrd treatment. These results suggest that BrdUrd-induced amplification of Prl gene coding and neighboring sequences is restricted to within 3 kb of the 5' end and within 7 kb of the 3' end of the structural gene Analysis of low-molecular-weight extrachromosomal DNA isolated by Hirt's procedure from drug-treated cells reveals a similar pattern of amplification of the Prl gene and its flanking sequences.