STABLE TRANSFER OF ZEBRAFISH CHROMOSOME SEGMENTS INTO MOUSE CELLS

Whole-cell fusion between zebrafish fibroblast-like ZF4 cells and mous e B78 melanoma cells resulted in hybrids containing one or a few zebra fish chromosome segments in a murine chromosomal background. Fluoresce nce in situ hybridization to hybrid cell metaphases with a zebrafish g enomic DNA probe revealed that many hybrids contained zebrafish chromo some segments that were either inserted or translocated to a mouse chr omosome, whereas other hybrids contained zebrafish chromosomes with no evidence of insertion or translocation. We have assigned hybrids to 1 7 linkage groups of the genetic map of the zebrafish genome. Our resul ts demonstrate the feasibility of producing somatic cell hybrids betwe en distantly related species. Zebrafish/mouse cell hybrids will. provi de a useful tool for the physical mapping of the zebrafish genome and for the cloning of genes affected in zebrafish mutants. (C) 1996 Acade mic Press, Inc.