A mutant cell line derived from NIH/3T3 cells: Two oncogenes required for in vitro transformation

EK-3, a cell line derived from NIH/3T3 cells, was isolated. These cells are nontumorigenic to NIH Swiss nude mice. They required both myc and ras genes for in vitro transformation in contrast to NIH/3T3 cells, which are efficiently transformed following transfection by ras alone. Two other genes, chloramphenicol acetyl transferase and geneticin resistance, could be efficiently transfected and expressed in both EK-3 cells and the parental NIH/3T3 cells. Thus the possibility that the requirement of myc in EK3 cells is due to low efficiency of transfection could be ruled out. The present study suggests that myc plays a significant role in the overall process of transformation rather than simply immortalization of the cells. The EK-3 line can be very helpful in elucidating this function.