Mitotic segregation of cytoplasmic determinants for chloramphenicol resistance in mammalian cells II: Fusions with human cell lines.

Cytoplasmically inherited chloramphenicol (CAP) resistance in human cells has been used to study the interaction between sensitive and resistant mitochondria. Cybrids between two HeLa cells were stable for resistance, grew rapidly and cloned well in CAP, and were O2 tolerant. HeLa-HeLa hybrids were also stable up to 70 doublings in the absence of CAP. Cybrids between HeLa and WI-L2 cells were unstable for resistance for up to 40 doublings, grew slowly and cloned poorly in CAP, and were O2 sensitive (S phase). The growth rate then increased and the cells became stable for resistance, cloned well, and were not O2 sensitive (F phase). Doubling time for S but not F phase cells was proportional to CAP concentration, indicating that both kinds of mitochondria were present and functioning. The instability of CAP resistance in many interstrain but not in intrastrain mouse and human cybrids and hybrids is interpreted in relation to lower eukaryotes.