DNA methyltransferase levels in tumorigenic and nontumorigenic cells in culture.

The levels of DNA methyltransferase in nuclei from 9 tumorigenic and 9 nontumorigenic cell lines were examined. In all but 2 cases, the extractable methyltransferase activity was 4-3000-fold higher in tumorigenic than in nontumorigenic cells. Tumorigenic and nontumorigenic cells from four species were grown in the presence of various concentrations (10(-8)-10(-6) M) of an inhibitor of the methylase enzyme, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dCyd). The reduction of 5-methylcytosine content in newly replicated DNA in the presence of 5-aza-dCyd was used to determine the relative methylase activity in each cell line. In all 4 cases, tumorigenic cells required larger doses of drug to inhibit DNA methylation to the same extent as their nontumorigenic counterparts. The relative rates of incorporation of [3H]5-aza-dCyd were determined for each cell line, and tumorigenic cells were shown to incorporate equal or greater amounts of 5-aza-dCyd into DNA compared to nontumorigenic cells. These results showed that the differences in the inhibition of DNA methylation in response to 5-aza-dCyd were not due to differences in the ability of these cells to incorporate the drug. Thus, it was demonstrated by two independent methods that tumorigenic cells contained higher levels of methylating capacity than nontumorigenic cells. This overabundance of methyltransferase may alter DNA methylation patterns and affect phenotypic stability.