Inducible Expression of Amplified Human Beta Interferon Genes in CHO Cells

Plasmid DNA containing the human beta-interferon (IFN-beta) gene and mouse dihydrofolate reductase cDNA was transfected into dihydrofolate reductase-negative Chinese hamster ovary cells. Dihydrofolate reductase-positive transformants were obtained, and cells containing amplified copies of mouse dihydrofolate reductase were selected by exposure to increasing methotrexate concentrations. These cells were found to express high levels of human IFN-beta after polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid superinduction or NDV infection; this was a result of coamplification of the IFN-beta gene. Levels of expression of 1 U/cell per day were achieved on superinduction, giving corresponding titers of up to 10(10) U/liter medium in culture supernatants. Constitutive production of IFN-beta rates of about 0.5% of superinduced rates was observed; cells producing these levels of IFN-beta had acquired resistance to cytotoxic antiviral effects of IFN-beta. Two forms of human IFN-beta were produced; a major glycosylated 23,000-dalton form and an unglycosylated 18,500-dalton form. The latter had greatly reduced antiviral activity. IFN-beta production was very sensitive to cellular growth rate; the highest levels were produced by density-arrested cultures. Regulation of IFN-beta production by polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid or by cell density effects required the presence of DNA sequences 5' to the IFN-beta-coding sequences; replacement of these sequences with the simian virus 40 early promoter resulted in uninducible, density-independent production of IFN-beta.