Evidence for pleiotropic changes in lines of Chinese hamster ovary cells resistant to concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin-P.

Lines of Chinese hamster ovary cells resistant to the lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) have been isolated and characterized. Lines were isolated by a stepwise, a single-step, or a cycling single-step procedure, from both mutagen-treated and untreated cultures. The resistant lines showed a higher efficiency of colony formation in the presence of the appropriate lectin than did the wild-type parental line. The cell lines resistant to Con A did not exhibit any detectable cross resistance to PHA-P, nor did the PHA-resistant cells exhibit cross resistance to Con A. The toxicity of Con A from the wild-type and Con A-resistant lines was reduced in the presence of methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside; this effect was not seen with the PHA-resistant line. Using (125)I-labeled Con A, it was found that Con A was bound preferentially to the surface of intact cells, and that the amount of labeled Con A bound to intact cells was similar for the wild-type and lectin-resistant lines. The Con A-resistant lines were found to be more susceptible to the toxic effects of a number of different compounds, including cyclic AMP and its dibutyryl derivative, sodium butyrate, high concentrations of glucose, phenethyl alcohol, phenol, ouabain, and testosterone. It appears that, in these lines, acquisition of resistance to Con A gave rise to pleiotropic effects which were detected by changes in the sensitivity of the cells to a variety of agents.