D. Segal et al., GENETIC-TRANSFORMATION OF DROSOPHILA CELLS IN CULTURE BY P-ELEMENT-MEDIATED TRANSPOSITION, Somatic cell and molecular genetics, 22(2), 1996, pp. 159-165
We report that cells of a Drosophila embryonic cell line (Kc167 cells)
can be readily and stably transformed by transposition of P elements
from exogenous DNA, Cells are transfected with plasmids carrying metho
trexate- or alpha-amanitin-resistance markers expressed from constitut
ive promoters and co-transfected with a gene encoding a somatically ac
tive transposase. Transient expression of the transposase leads to eff
icient production of transformed resistant cells. We describe conditio
ns under which most resistant clones are healthy and harbor a small nu
mber (1-50) of transposons and few (less than or equal to 5%) retain p
lasmid sequences derived from illegitimate recombination, Using condit
ions like these it should prove possible to construct enhancer trap an
d/or gene libraries using Drosophila cells.