Suppression of amphotericin B methyl ester induced growth stimulation in intraspecific mouse somatic cell hybrids.

Amphotericin B methyl ester (AME), the chemically modified derivative of amphotericin B, induced a concentration-dependent growth stimulatory effect on B82 mouse cells as indicated by increased 24- and 72-hour viable cell number, growth rate and DNA and RNA synthesis. In contrast, AME was not growth promoting toward RAG mouse cells or B82-RAG somatic cell hybrids, while hybrid cells exhibited the increased AME resistance pattern of B82 parental cells. A dissociation between the phenotypic expression of growth stimulation and polyene sensitivity was demonstrated in intraspecific mouse hybrids.