HLS7, a hemopoietic lineage switch gene homologous to the leukemia-inducing gene MLF1. (25/1645)

Hemopoietic lineage switching occurs when leukemic cells, apparently committed to one lineage, change and display the phenotype of another pathway. cDNA representational difference analysis was used to identify myeloid-specific genes that may be associated with an erythroid to myeloid lineage switch involving the murine J2E erythroleukemic cell line. One of the genes isolated (HLS7) is homologous to the novel human oncogene myeloid leukemia factor 1 (MLF1) involved in the t(3;5)(q25.1;q34) translocation associated with acute myeloid leukemia. Enforced expression of HLS7 in J2E cells induced a monoblastoid phenotype, thereby recapitulating the spontaneous erythroid to myeloid lineage switch. HLS7 also inhibited erythropoietin- or chemically-induced differentiation of erythroleukemic cell lines and suppressed development of erythropoietin-responsive colonies in semi-solid culture. However, intracellular signaling activated by erythropoietin was not impeded by ectopic expression of HLS7. In contrast, HLS7 promoted maturation of M1 monoblastoid cells and increased myeloid colony formation in vitro. These data show that HLS7 can influence erythroid/myeloid lineage switching and the development of normal hemopoietic cells.  (+info)

Loss of p53 in F-MuLV induced-erythroleukemias accelerates the acquisition of mutational events that confers immortality and growth factor independence. (26/1645)

Erythroleukemias induced by Friend Murine Leukemia Virus (F-MuLV) involve the insertional activation of the proto-oncogene Fli-1, and the inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. While the activation of Fli-1 is an early, primary transforming event, p53 mutations are correlated with the immortalization of erythroleukemic cells in culture. In this study we have further analysed the role of p53 loss in F-MuLV induced erythroleukemias by examining the progression of this disease in p53 deficient mice. We found that p53-/- mice succumb to the disease more rapidly than p53+/+ littermates. Additionally, of the 112 tumors generated, 19 gave rise to immortal cell lines, eight of which were derived from p53-/- mice, and ten of which were from p53+/- mice. The ability of these primary tumor cells to grow in culture was associated with the complete loss of wild-type p53 in these cell lines. However, cells from many of the tumors induced in p53-/- hosts did not survive in vitro. These results suggest that the loss of p53 does not directly immortalize tumor cells. Instead, we have evidence to suggest that the loss of p53 promotes the accumulation of mutations that are required for survival in culture and that are capable of accelerating tumor progression in vivo. Indeed, mutations causing expression of the growth factor gene erythropoietin (Epo), were detected in two of seven Epo-independent cell lines from p53 deficient primary erythroleukemias. Moreover, the mechanism of activation of the Epo gene in one of these two Epo-independent cell lines involved genomic rearrangement, that is a hallmark of genetic instability. We propose that, in F-MuLV induced-erythroleukemias, p53 loss may encourage the accumulation of further mutations, subsequently conferring a growth advantage and immortality to the transformed erythroblasts.  (+info)

Hemoglobin synthesis in somatic cell hybrids: globin gene expression in hybrids between mouse erythroleukemia and human marrow cells or fibroblasts. (27/1645)

Somatic cell hybrids were generated by fusion of mouse erythroleukemia cells either to mouse L cells (B82), human fibroblasts (W1-18 VA2), or human marrow fractions enriched in erythroblasts. The hybrid cells were examined for globin gene expression by benzidine staining to detect cytoplasmic hemoglobin, and by molecular hybridization of cellular RNA to globin complementary DNA (cDNA) to detect globin messenger RNA (MRNA). The fibroblast (human or mouse) times erythroleukemia cell hybrids grown in monolayer retained most of the chromosomes of each parent. Neither cytoplasmic hemoglobin nor globin mRNA was detected in dimethylsulfoxide-treated fibroblast times erythroleukemia hybrid cells, indicating extinction of hemoglobin synthesis prior to the formation of cytoplasmic mRNA. The human marrow times mouse erythroleukemia hybrid cells grown in suspension culture contained only a few human chromosomes and exhibited low levels of hemoglobin synthesis which were amplified by 2% dimethylsulfoxide. Mouse (but not human) globin mRNA was demonstrated in these hybrid cells. The results suggest that somatic cell hybrids may be useful in searching for genetic factors which regulate activity of the globin genes.  (+info)

Introduction of a cis-acting mutation in the capsid-coding gene of moloney murine leukemia virus extends its leukemogenic properties. (28/1645)

Inoculation of newborn mice with the retrovirus Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) results in the exclusive development of T lymphomas with gross thymic enlargement. The T-cell leukemogenic property of Moloney MuLV has been mapped to the U3 enhancer region of the viral promoter. However, we now describe a mutant Moloney MuLV which can induce the rapid development of a uniquely broad panel of leukemic cell types. This mutant Moloney MuLV with synonymous differences (MSD1) was obtained by introduction of nucleotide substitutions at positions 1598, 1599, and 1601 in the capsid gene which maintained the wild-type (WT) coding potential. Leukemias were observed in all MSD1-inoculated animals after a latency period that was shorter than or similar to that of WT Moloney MuLV. Importantly, though, only 56% of MSD1-induced leukemias demonstrated the characteristic thymoma phenotype observed in all WT Moloney MuLV leukemias. The remainder of MSD1-inoculated animals presented either with bona fide clonal erythroid or myelomonocytic leukemias or, alternatively, with other severe erythroid and unidentified disorders. Amplification and sequencing of U3 and capsid-coding regions showed that the inoculated parental MSD1 sequences were conserved in the leukemic spleens. This is the first report of a replication-competent MuLV lacking oncogenes which can rapidly lead to the development of such a broad range of leukemic cell types. Moreover, the ability of MSD1 to transform erythroid and myelomonocytic lineages is not due to changes in the U3 viral enhancer region but rather is the result of a cis-acting effect of the capsid-coding gag sequence.  (+info)

Neuropeptide-Y stimulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases in human erythroleukemia cells. (29/1645)

We have used human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells to investigate distal signaling mechanisms of neuropeptide-Y (NPY) receptors. NPY did not activate phospholipase D, determined as a phosphatidylethanol formation, or protein kinase C (PKC) determined enzymatically as a translocation to the plasma membrane. However, NPY caused a rapid (already maximal after 30 s) and concentration-dependent (maximum at 10-100 nM) activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) as assessed by immunoblotting with epitope-specific, antiphosphotyrosine antibodies and in some cases enzymatically. ERK activation by 100 nM NPY was abolished by the Y(1) NPY receptor antagonist BIBP 3226 (1 microM), pertussis toxin treatment (100 ng ml(-1) overnight), the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase inhibitor PD 98059 (100 microM), and the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin (100 nM). Whereas the PKC inhibitor staurosporine (3 microM) inhibited ERK activation by NPY, the chemically distinct PKC inhibitors calphostin C (3 microM), Go 6976 (3 microM), and bisindolylmaleimide I (3 microM) did not. NPY did not activate other MAPK such as jun N-terminal kinase or p38 MAPK. We conclude that NPY does not activate phospholipase D, PKC, jun N-terminal kinase, or p38 MAPK in HEL cells. However, NPY activates ERK by a pathway involving Y(1) receptors, pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, whereas PKC may not be involved. Staurosporine may have PKC-independent effects on ERK activation.  (+info)

Properties of cell lines derived from tumors induced by Friend virus in BALB/c and BALB/c-H-2b mice. (30/1645)

Cell lines have been established in culture from Friend virus-induced tumors of BALB/c (H-2d) and congenic BALB/c-H-2b (BALB.B) origin. Spleens from virus-infected hosts in the terminal stages of erythroleukemic disease provided tissues for the establishment of subcutaneously transplantable tumors of both strains. Subsequently cells of these tumors were introduced into culture and passed serially. Complete, infectious Friend virus (FV) has been routinely recovered from culture supernates of BALB.B tumor cells (HFL/b) throughout its 2-yr passage history. However, after only a few transfer generations in culture BALB/c tumor cells (HFL/d) became nonproducers of virus detectable in either the spleen focus assay in vivo or the XC assay in vitro. Nonproducer HFL/d cells possessed the complete genomes of the components of the FV complex, since FV could be recovered from them either by cocultivation with helper virus-infected syngeneic embryo fibroblasts or by serial passage in the ascitic form in normal, syngeneic adult hosts.  (+info)

Mother cell of megakaryocyte. (31/1645)

It was attempted to describe the morphology of the most immature cell of megakaryocytic series. The megakaryocytes were observed with the electron microscope in five cases, being traced back to their immature forms. In two cases the most immature cells of megakaryocytic series were considered to be the cells which were probably identified as lymphocytes under the light microscope, but they were not lymphocytes with the electron microscope. In other two cases it was presumed that neutrophilic and megakaryocytic series were derived from morphologically similar immature cells, since the most immature cells of neutrophilic and megakaryocytic series were not distinguished when they were traced back to their immature forms. These findings suggest that mother cells of megakaryocytes in the adult bone marrow may be identified as lymphoid cells with the light microscope.  (+info)

Mechanism of platelet liberation. (32/1645)

Megakaryocytes from 5 patients and 1 normal person were observed electronmicroscopically. In some pathologic states platelets seemed to be liberated without demarcation membrane system (DMS) and in a normal individual they seemed to be liberated independently of DMS. These findings suggest that DMS is not concerned with platelet liberation and that platelets are liberated through pseudopodia and bleb formation. In mature megakaryocytes vigorous amoeboid movement seems to exist and both pseudopodia and blebs may represent this movement. Structural similarity between surface connected system (SCS) of platelet and DMS of megakaryocyte suggests that the structure called DMS is transported as SCS into platelet.  (+info)