We have analysed relative DHFR gene copy numbers in nine cell lines of various cell type and species origins. The cells studied expressed either low, low and inducible or constitutively elevated levels of c-Myc protein. DHFR gene amplification was observed only when c-Myc protein levels were upregulated. The amplification of the DHFR gene was transient in inducible cell lines. Cell lines exhibiting constitutively deregulated c-Myc protein levels, however, showed both DHFR gene amplification and ongoing rearrangements of the DHFR locus. In contrast, the relative gene copy numbers of ribonucleotide reductase R1 subunit, ornithine decarboxylase, syndecan 2, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase, and cyclin C remained unaffected irrespective of c-Myc protein levels, suggesting a locus-specific genomic instability of the DHFR gene in cells with deregulated c-Myc protein levels. Overall, the results of the present study support the notion that DHFR gene amplification as a consequence of c-Myc deregulation may occur in a variety of cell lines irrespective of their cell type and species origins.