The gene that encodes the membrane-bound Mr 100,000 human melanoma-associated antigen (MAA) defined by mouse mAb 376.96, a leukocyte and fibroblast interferon-modulated glycoprotein having preferential distribution on melanoma and carcinoma cells, has been transfected into the mouse melanoma cell line B78H1 as a step toward molecular cloning and characterization of the MAA. Primary, secondary, and tertiary B78H1 transfectants expressing the Mr 100,000 MAA gene were generated by treatment with coprecipitated DNA from Mr 100,000 MAA+ human or transfectant mouse cells and they were detected by an indirect RBC rosetting assay. The Mr 100,000 MAA gene was also transferred into K-1735 mouse melanoma cells and into nonmalignant and malignant mouse fibroblast lines. The species immunoprecipitated by mAb 376.96 from human melanoma cells (Mr 100,000) and from mouse melanoma transfectant cells (Mr 97,000-100,000) were both converted to molecule(s) having an Mr of approximately 70,000 by enzymatic removal of asparagine-linked carbohydrate residues. Two independent secondary transformant clones of B78H1 cells express Mr 100,000 MAA antigenicity at levels significantly higher than those observed when one or two copies of the gene are present. Clone Mr 100,000 secondary-A spontaneously overexpresses Mr 100,000 MAA at least 5-fold and has greater than or equal to 10 times elevated levels of putatively Mr 100,000 MAA gene-associated human alu family repeat element (h-alu)-positive restriction fragments relative to "single" copy secondary transfectant cells. Clone Mr 100,000 secondary-B has increased copy number and expression of Mr 100,000 MAA as a consequence of a selective co-amplification procedure which is targeted to a mouse wild type dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) gene expression vector. This vector was co-introduced into B78H1 cells in addition to the DNA of Mr 100,000 MAA+ primary transfectant cells and the initially selected aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (neo) gene vector. Stepwise selections of a secondary Mr 100,000 MAA+ transfectant clone with increasing concentrations of the dihydrofolate reductase-inhibitory antimetabolite methotrexate led to progressive increases in copy numbers of the introduced dhfr gene and to parallel increases in h-alu sequences, in cellular levels of dihydrofolate reductase protein, and in cellular mAb 376.96 reactivity. Levels of these entities ultimately reached 50-fold, relative to levels expressed prior to amplification. The array of h-alu+ restriction fragments amplified in Mr 100,000 secondary-B cell DNA is very similar to that observed in Mr 100,000 secondary-A cell DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)