Hybridoma cells survive in HAT medium because they:
Survival in HAT environment demands functional purine and pyrimidine salvage enzymes inherited from normal B parent. B lymphocytes express HPRT1 locus on X chromosome encoding 24 kDa hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase that catalyzes phosphoribosyl transfer from PRPP to hypoxanthine yielding IMP plus pyrophosphate and to guanine yielding GMP, bypassing de novo steps requiring folate. They also express cytosolic thymidine kinase 1 cell-cycle regulated peaking in S phase and mitochondrial kinase 2 constitutive, phosphorylating thymidine supplied in medium to TMP using ATP. Hybridoma c
Ref: Janeway Immunobiology salvage pathway HGPRT; Freshney Animal Cell Culture hybrids survive HAT via HGPRT TK from B cell.