Transcription and translation of mitochondrial DNA in interspecific somatic cell hybrids.

We examined the mitochondrial transcription and translation products of somatic cell hybrids constructed by the fusion of Chinese hamster and mouse cells. The hybrid cell lines OAC-k, OAC-l, and OAC-m contain approximately equal amounts of hamster and mouse mitochondrial DNA and produced mitochondrial rRNA from both parental species in the same ratio. Cell lines OAC-k, OAC-l, and OAC-m also produced poly(A)+ mouse mitochondrial RNA transcripts comparable in complexity and quantity to poly(A)+ RNA from the mouse parent. However, the overall level of poly(A)+ hamster mitochondrial RNA from these hybrids was significantly reduced compared with that from the hamster parent. The hybrid cells also lacked several poly(A)+ RNA species found in the hamster parent, but contained additional minor transcripts. The mitochondrially coded proteins of the OAC-k, OAC-l, and OAC-m cells were predominantly encoded by the mouse mitochondrial DNA.