Human growth hormone in the blood of athymic mice grafted with cultures of hormone-secreting human keratinocytes.
An established line of human epidermal keratinocytes was permanently transformed by transfection with plasmid vectors bearing the human growth hormone gene under the control of two different promoters. Suitable selection permitted the isolation of clones secreting abundant growth hormone in culture. When such cultures were grafted to athymic mice, human growth hormone could be detected in the blood of the mice at concentrations in the physiological range for more than 4 weeks. Retrograde transfer from epithelial cells should be studied further as a possible means of introducing exogenous gene products into the circulation of humans.
Teumer
J
J
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Lindahl
A
A
Green
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI; D005796:Genes; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010957:Plasmids; D014162:Transfection
D013006:Growth Hormone; D004247:DNA; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI