[The characteristics of homologous DNA recombination in somatic cells. II. The characteristics of the extrachromosomal recombination of plasmid DNA in cultured cells differing in their tumor potential].

The frequencies of homologous extrachromosomal recombination, following plasmid transfection into cell lines differing in their tumour potential were measured. A 10-fold increase in extrachromosomal plasmid recombination has been reported in tumour cells (Ra-2, Jf-1) relative to immortal (Rat-2) and normal (REF). The differences between the normal and tumour cells are preserved in the in vitro recombination experiments (the recombination in the cell nuclei extracts). However, the recombination activity of nuclear extracts from the immortality transformed cells (Rat-2) is similar to that of nuclear extracts from the tumour cells.