Mutant NRK cells that are no longer sensitive to TGF-beta and EGF have been generated and isolated. These will be used to study the role of TGF-beta in malignant transformation. A cDNA has been isolated that causes chemically transformed Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) cells to revert to normal phenotype. The mode of action of this recessive oncogene will now be investigated. A highly efficient technique for transfecting the yeast, schzosaccharomyces pombe has been developed. The method will be used to clone cDNAs that complement mutant yeast that have defective cell cycles, DNA repair mechanisms, etc. Recombinant viruses have been generated capable of infecting cells but not of replicating within them. These can safely and conveniently be used to study the interaction between viruses and their receptors. In addition, the recombinant viruses may be an efficient means of introducing cloned genes into infectable cells.
