Abstract
Resistance to the antibiotics chloramphenicol (CAPr) and efrapeptin (EFr) in mammalian cells is cytoplasmically inherited1,2. We demonstrate here that purified mitochondria obtained from CAPr and EFr cells are taken up by endocytosis and transfer antibiotic resistance to chloramphenicol-(CAPs) and efrapeptin-(EFs) sensitive cells. The resultant cells, termed mitochondrial transformants, are stably resistant to the antibiotics and are produced with high efficiency. The ability to transfer antibiotic resistance using mitochondria supports the notion that CAPr is due to a mutation of the mitochondrial DNA3. This technique of mitochondrial-mediated transfer of antibiotic resistance may provide a novel means for studying mitochondrial genetics in mammalian cells.
This is a preview of subscription content
Access options
Subscribe to Journal
Get full journal access for 1 year
$199.00
only $3.90 per issue
All prices are NET prices.
VAT will be added later in the checkout.
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Buy article
Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.
$32.00
All prices are NET prices.
References
Bunn, C. L., Wallace, D. C. & Eisenstadt, J. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 71, 1681–1685 (1974).
Lichtor, T. & Getz, G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 324 (1978).
Kearsey, S. E. & Craig, I. W. Nature 290, 607–608 (1981).
Malech, H. L. & Wivel, N. A. Cell 9, 383–391 (1976).
Bogenhagen, D. & Clayton, D. A. J. biol. Chem. 249, 7991–7995 (1974).
Johnson, L. V., Walsh, M. L. & Chen, L. B. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 990–994 (1980).
Clark, M. A. & Shay, J. W. Scanning Electron Microsc. 3, 527–535 (1979).
Wigler, M. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 3567–3570 (1980).
Shay, J. W. & Clark, M. A. J. supramolec. Struct. 11, 33–49 (1979).
Wallace, D. C. & Eisenstadt, J. M. Somat. Cell Genet. 5, 373–396 (1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clark, M., Shay, J. Mitochondrial transformation of mammalian cells. Nature 295, 605–607 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295605a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/295605a0
Further reading
-
Mitochondrial transfer/transplantation: an emerging therapeutic approach for multiple diseases
Cell & Bioscience (2022)
-
Oxidative stress facilitates exogenous mitochondria internalization and survival in retinal ganglion precursor-like cells
Scientific Reports (2022)
-
Mesenchymal stem cell-mediated transfer of mitochondria: mechanisms and functional impact
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (2022)
-
Intercellular mitochondrial transfer as a means of tissue revitalization
Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2021)
-
Mitochondrial augmentation of CD34+ cells from healthy donors and patients with mitochondrial DNA disorders confers functional benefit
npj Regenerative Medicine (2021)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
