Cell-surface antigens expressed on L-cells transfected with whole DNA from non-expressing and expressing cells.

We have shown previously that transfection of mouse L-cells with DNA from JM, a human T-cell line expressing certain T-cell differentiation antigens, yields stable transfectants expressing one or another of these antigens. The identities of the antigens were confirmed by immunoprecipitation and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We now report that our procedure--co-transfection with the chicken thymidine kinase gene (tk) and whole cellular DNA, selection with hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT), and staining of the cells with fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies and fluorescence-activated cell-sorter (FACS) selection--yields transfectants expressing a variety of cell-surface molecules (19 of 21 investigated), most at a frequency of about one per 10(3) Tk+ transformants. Of these, 9 of 12 were transferred and expressed as readily using DNA from cells which did not express the cell-surface antigens as from tissues or cells that did express them.