Rearrangements of the cellular p53 gene in erythroleukaemic cells transformed by Friend virus

Deletion of 5'-coding sequences of the cellular p53 gene in mouse erythroleukemia: a novel mechanism of oncogene regulation

The p53 gene is rearranged in an erythroleukemic cell line (DP15-2) transformed by Friend retrovirus. Here, we characterize the mutation and identify a deletion of approximately equal to 3.0 kilobases that removes exon 2 coding sequences. The gene is expressed in DP15-2 cells and results in synthesis of a 44,000-dalton protein that is missing the N-terminal amino acid residues of p53. The truncated protein is unusually stable and accumulates to high levels intracellularly. Moreover, it appears to have undergone a change in conformation as revealed by epitope mapping studies. This study represents the first description of an altered p53 gene product arising by mutation during neoplastic progression and identifies a region in the p53 protein molecule that plays a role in determining p53 stability in vivo.

Deletion of 5'-coding sequences of the cellular p53 gene in mouse erythroleukemia: a novel mechanism of oncogene regulation

The p53 gene is rearranged in an erythroleukemic cell line (DP15-2) transformed by Friend retrovirus. Here, we characterize the mutation and identify a deletion of approximately equal to 3.0 kilobases that removes exon 2 coding sequences. The gene is expressed in DP15-2 cells and results in synthesis of a 44,000-dalton protein that is missing the N-terminal amino acid residues of p53. The truncated protein is unusually stable and accumulates to high levels intracellularly. Moreover, it appears to have undergone a change in conformation as revealed by epitope mapping studies. This study represents the first description of an altered p53 gene product arising by mutation during neoplastic progression and identifies a region in the p53 protein molecule that plays a role in determining p53 stability in vivo.

Characterization of the human p53 gene

Cosmid and lambda clones containing the human p53 gene were isolated and characterized in detail. The gene is 20 kilobases (kb) long and has 11 exons, the first and second exons being separated by an intron of 10 kb. Restriction fragments upstream of sequences known to be within the first identified exon were tested for promoter activity by cloning them in front of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and transfecting the resulting constructs into HeLa cells. A 0.35-kb DNA fragment was identified that had promoter activity. Results of primer extension experiments indicated that the mRNA cap site falls within this fragment, as expected. Analysis of the sequence upstream of the presumptive cap site indicated that the human p53 promoter may be of an unusual type.

Isolation of human-p53-specific monoclonal antibodies and their use in the studies of human p53 expression

The isolation and construction of a complete human p53 cDNA and subsequent expression in monkey cells is described. A set of new anti-(human p53) monoclonal antibodies has also been obtained and used to show the expression of the human p53 cDNA in cos-l cells. These antibodies enable the specific detection of human p53, which is synthesised in the presence of p53 from other species. Fusion proteins of p53 with beta-galactosidase were used firstly as antigen and secondly, in conjunction with competition assays, to localise the determinants recognized by the antibodies. At least two previously unrecognized epitopes are involved and two of the antibodies are human-p53-specific. The epitopes are denaturation-resistant and the antibodies are, therefore, valuable for immunoblotting as well as immunoprecipitation and enzyme-linked immunoassay. Transfection of plasmids containing complete human p53 cDNA into monkey (cos-l) cells cause expression of human p53 recognized by the monoclonal antibodies. Control plasmids did not induce immunoreactive protein.

Identification of the p53 protein domain involved in formation of the simian virus 40 large T-antigen-p53 protein complex

An expression vector utilizing the enhancer and promoter region of the simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA regulating a murine p53 cDNA clone was constructed. The vector produced murine p53 protein in monkey cells identified by five different monoclonal antibodies, three of which were specific for the murine form of p53. The murine p53 produced in monkey cells formed an oligomeric protein complex with the SV40 large tumor antigen. A large number of deletion mutations, in-frame linker insertion mutations, and linker insertion mutations resulting in a frameshift mutation were constructed in the cDNA coding portion of the p53 protein expression vector. The wild-type and mutant p53 cDNA vectors were expressed in monkey cells producing the SV40 large T antigen. The conformation and levels of p53 protein and its ability to form protein complexes with the SV40 T antigen were determined by using five different monoclonal antibodies with quite distinct epitope recognition sites. Insertion mutations between amino acid residues 123 and 215 (of a total of 390 amino acids) eliminated the ability of murine p53 to bind to the SV40 large T antigen. Deletion (at amino acids 11 through 33) and insertion mutations (amino acids 222 through 344) located on either side of this T-antigen-binding protein domain produced a murine p53 protein that bound to the SV40 large T antigen. The same five insertion mutations that failed to bind with the SV40 large T antigen also failed to react with a specific monoclonal antibody, PAb246. In contrast, six additional deletion and insertion mutations that produced p53 protein that did bind with T antigen were each recognized by PAb246. The proposed epitope for PAb246 has been mapped adjacent (amino acids 88 through 109) to the T-antigen-binding domain (amino acids 123 through 215) localized by the mutations mapped in this study. Finally, some insertion mutations that produced a protein that failed to bind to the SV40 T antigen appeared to have an enhanced ability to complex with a 68-kilodalton cellular protein in monkey cells.

Expression of the p53 oncogene in acute myeloblastic leukemia

We have investigated whether the p53 oncogene is expressed in the blast cells of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. p53 protein was detected in the blast cells of 19 out of 34 patients, but not in normal myelopoietic cells. We find a highly significant correlation between p53 protein synthesis in leukemic blast cells and the secondary plating efficiency of these cells (p = 0.0001). The latter provides an estimate for the self renewal capacity of progenitor cells in the blast population. These data indicate that p53 may be involved in leukemic stem cell renewal.

Monoclonal antibody analysis of p53 expression in normal and transformed cells

The cellular phosphoprotein p53 binds tightly and specifically to simian virus 40 T antigen and the 58,000-molecular-weight adenovirus E1b protein. Many human and murine tumor cell lines contain elevated levels of the p53 protein even in the absence of these associated viral proteins. Recently the cloned p53 gene, linked to strong viral promoters, has been shown to complement activated ras genes in transformation of primary rodent cell cultures. Overexpression of the p53 gene alone rescues some primary rodent cell cultures from senescence. We isolated three new monoclonal antibodies to the p53 protein, designated PAb242, PAb246, and PAb248, and mapped the epitopes they recognized on p53 in comparison with other previously isolated antibodies. At least five sterically separate epitopes were defined on murine p53. One of the antibodies, PAb246, recognizes an epitope on p53 that is unstable in the absence of bound simian virus 40 T antigen. This effect is demonstrable in vivo and in newly developed in vitro assays of T-p53 complex formation. Using the panel of anti-p53 antibodies and sensitive immunocytochemical methods, we found that p53 has a predominantly nuclear location in established but not transformed cells as well as in the vast majority of transformed cell lines. Several monoclonal antibodies to p53 showed cross-reactions with non-p53 components in immunocytochemical staining.

Characterization of the human p53 gene

Cosmid and lambda clones containing the human p53 gene were isolated and characterized in detail. The gene is 20 kilobases (kb) long and has 11 exons, the first and second exons being separated by an intron of 10 kb. Restriction fragments upstream of sequences known to be within the first identified exon were tested for promoter activity by cloning them in front of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and transfecting the resulting constructs into HeLa cells. A 0.35-kb DNA fragment was identified that had promoter activity. Results of primer extension experiments indicated that the mRNA cap site falls within this fragment, as expected. Analysis of the sequence upstream of the presumptive cap site indicated that the human p53 promoter may be of an unusual type.

Induction of the early stages of Friend erythroleukemia with helper-free Friend spleen focus-forming virus

The polycythemia-inducing strain of Friend virus (FV-P) causes a multistage erythroleukemia in susceptible mice. FV-P is a complex of two viruses, a replication-competent virus [Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV)] and a replication-defective spleen focus-forming virus (SFFVp). We have addressed directly the role of SFFVp in the induction of the early stages of Friend disease by constructing stocks of SFFVp free of detectable F-MuLV, using a recently described retroviral helper-cell line. These preparations are capable of inducing erythroid bursts (vBFU-E) whose inducibility, kinetics, and responsiveness to erythropoietin suggest that they are very similar, if not identical, to the vBFU-E induced by FV-P. Single injections of helper-free SFFVp had no apparent effects in vivo, although the addition of exogenous helper virus to the inoculum resulted in the induction of classic Friend disease. Increasing the effective titer by giving mice five daily virus injections resulted in the induction of splenomegaly and a large increase in the number of erythroid colony-forming units that were independent of erythropoietin. When the injections were discontinued, the spleens regressed and all the mice survived. When the injections were continued, all the mice died within 25 days of the first injection. These results demonstrate that SFFVp alone can alter the growth characteristics of erythroid progenitors and is directly responsible for the induction of vBFU-E in vitro and the erythroid hyperplasia in vivo. They also demonstrate that the initial polyclonal stage of Friend disease is reversible and can be reproduced by using preparations of SFFVp free of detectable F-MuLV.

Transformation associated p53 protein is encoded by a gene on human chromosome 17

The human gene for the transformation-associated p53 phosphoprotein (P53) was assigned to the short arm of chromosome 17 using human-rodent somatic cell hybrids and Southern filter hybridization of cell hybrid DNA. The filters were hybridized to radiolabeled DNA from a genomic clone which contained P53 nucleotide sequences. Hybridization of the probe to a 2.5-kb human DNA fragment in HindIII-digested DNA was used to identify the human P53 gene.