Mechanisms of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase overaccumulation in three compactin-resistant cell lines.

We have isolated three mammalian cell lines which are resistant to compactin, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. The drug resistance in all three cell lines is due to an increase of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Two of the three cell lines overaccumulate HMG-CoA reductase messenger RNA when grown in the presence of compactin. DNA hybridization experiments indicate that both a baby hamster kidney-derived compactin-resistant cell line, C100, and a cell line derived from mouse 3T6 cells, 3T6-40, exhibit amplifications of the HMG-CoA reductase gene. A third compactin-resistant cell line derived from Chinese hamster ovary cells, ML100, does not exhibit an amplification of the HMG-CoA reductase gene, nor does it show an elevated level of HMG-CoA reductase mRNA, comparable to that seen in the other cell lines.