Characterization of rat schwannoma-schwann cell hybrids

Sciatic nerve Schwann cell from strain LEC rats, homozygous for the c form of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD), and RN22 rat Schwannoma cells, a subclone of RN2 deficient in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase and expressing the s form of 6-PGD, were fused to produce 'RNS' hybrid clones which proloferate rapidly ina medium containing hypoxanthine, aminopterin and thymidine (HAT) and express c, s and c/s heterodimeric forms of 6-PGD. RNS cells, like both parents, maintain a high baseline activity of 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase and, as in RN22, activity of this enzyme is further inducible by 1 mM N⁶, O² -dibutyryl 3′,5′-cyclic AMP. The RNS clones resemble normal Schwann cells in the capacity to bind radioiodinated axolemmal fragments to their plasma membranes.