Analysis of the transgenome of MET transfectant cell lines reveals that MET activation is accompanied by an interstitial insertion

The MET oncogene, present in the MNNG-HOS chemically transformed human cell line, is activated by a gene fusion involving sequences from chromosome 1 and chromosome 7. Activated MET can act as a dominant selectable marker for chromosome-mediated gene transfer, and several transfectant cell lines have been established using this technique. Analysis of the transgenomes within these cell lines indicates that MET activation is not simply due to a chromosome translocation, but may involve an interstitial insertion of DNA from chromosome 1, into chromosome 7, probably associated with other rearrangements. Pulse field gel analysis of two transfectants indicates that, despite the presence of complex rearrangements close to MET, chromosome 7 sequences are grossly intact over a 1-Mb region thought to contain the gene defective in cystic fibrosis.