Ploidy dependence of induced mutation frequency in transformed Syrian hamster cells.

The ploidy dependence of the induced frequency of a phenotype can be used to determine the dominant or recessive nature of a somatic mutation to a given trait. To demonstrate this we induced mutations in diploid and spontaneously occurring tetraploid clones of Syrian hamster embryo cells by treatment with EMS (1.2 mg/ml, 4 h). Mutagenized cells were assayed for the recessive mutation to 6-thioguanine resistance (5 micrograms/ml) and the dominant mutation to ouabain resistance (1.2 mM). The frequency of induction of the dominant mutation was equal in the diploid and tetraploid clones (2.3 x 10(-4)). The frequency of induction of the recessive mutation was greatly reduced in the tetraploid clone relative to the diploid clone (1.8 x 10(-4) vs. 1.2 x 10(-3)). 6TGr mutant subclones from the tetraploid clone remain nearly tetraploid, or even increase in ploidy, but show a reduction in the number of X chromosomes from two to one, or in some cases none (based on chromosome morphology). The principle of ploidy dependence is now being used to study the induction of phenotypes related to neoplastic transformation.