Properties of incompletely immortalized cell lines generated from a line established from temperature-sensitive SV40 T-antigen gene transgenic mice.

Kidney tubule cell line (TKC2) established from temperature-sensitive (ts) SV40 T-antigen gene transgenic mice exhibited cell death by apoptosis at nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C). To learn how immortalization occurs, we generated T-antigen-independent immortalized cells (resistant clones) by culturing TKC2 cells at 39 degrees C. These independently isolated resistant clones exhibited ts properties in T-antigen and contained only wild-type p53. They grew similarly at 39 degrees and at 33 degrees C, but cell death was induced soon after they reached confluency at 39 degrees C. However, cell death was equally prevented by transfecting the bcl-2 gene. While TGF-beta showed no growth-suppressive effect in the sensitive and resistant clones at 33 degrees C, it induced significantly earlier cell death in the resistant clones at 39 degrees C. Thus, the resistant clones may be incompletely immortalized cell lines which induce cell death in response to the growth-suppressive effects of contact inhibition.