Tumorigenic transformation of mouse NIH 3T3 cells by transfection with plasmid pSV2neo.

This study reports high incidence tumourigenic activity of the pSV2neo plasmid demonstrated by transfection of NIH 3T3 cells. The plasmid is frequently used as a dominant selectable marker for confirming successful gene transfection, and the findings indicate a need for caution in interpretation and design of assays for oncogenes which use co-transfection and subsequent selection with neomycin.