Mutagenesis at the ouabain-resistance locus in human diploid fibroblasts.

The variables affecting the frequency of ouabain-resistant mutant clones have been studied in a strain of foetal lung fibroblasts. Optimum mutant recovery was obtained when cells were selected in 10(-6) M ouabain at a cell density of 2 X 10(4) cells/cm 2 (10(6) cell per 100-mm dish). The spontaneous mutation rate was estimated to be 4 X 10(-8) per cell generation. Treatment with the mutagens ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), N-methyl-N' -nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, and UV light increased the frequency of mutant colonies by an order of magnitude. The maximum number of mutants after mutagenesis with EMS occurred after two population doublings of growth in non-selective medium prior to selection and depended on the dose of EMS. Ouabain-resistance is a useful marker for studies of quantitative mutagenesis in human cells.