As an alternative to directing plant or bacterial toxins to surface receptors, we are investigating the possibility of killing tumor cells by the expression of an exogenously introduced toxin gene (i.e., cell suicide). Tissue-specific gene regulatory elements might thus be exploited to achieve selective killing. To assess the feasibility of such an approach, we have transfected human cells (HeLa, B-lymphoblastoid, and 293 cells) with plasmids containing the diphtheria toxin A-chain (DT-A) coding sequence. The presence of the DT-A sequence lowered the level of transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase from a cotransfected plasmid, pSV2cat. This expression level in B-cells was further diminished by the inclusion of an immunoglobulin enhancer in the DT-A plasmid. In cotransfection experiments with a DT-A plasmid lacking an enhancer, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression was much more strongly inhibited in 293 cells (which express adenovirus E1A and E1B products) than in the other cell types; furthermore, the presence of the DT-A sequence eliminated recovery of G418-resistant 293 cell transformants after transfection with a plasmid containing the neo selectable marker. These results suggest that cell-specific regulatory mechanisms can be exploited to achieve selective cell killing by expression of an introduced toxin gene.