Identification of the leukemogenic protein of avian myeloblastosis virus and of its normal cellular homologue

From modulation of cellular plasticity to potentiation of therapeutic resistance: new and emerging roles of MYB transcription factors in human malignancies

MYB transcription factors are encoded by a large family of highly conserved genes from plants to vertebrates. There are three members of the MYB gene family in human, namely, MYB, MYBL1, and MYBL2 that encode MYB/c-MYB, MYBL1/A-MYB, and MYBL2/B-MYB, respectively. MYB was the first member to be identified as a cellular homolog of the v-myb oncogene carried by the avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) causing leukemia in chickens. Under the normal scenario, MYB is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic tissues, colonic crypts, and neural stem cells and plays a role in maintaining the undifferentiated state of the cells. Over the years, aberrant expression of MYB genes has been reported in several malignancies and recent years have witnessed tremendous progress in understanding of their roles in processes associated with cancer development. Here, we review various MYB alterations reported in cancer along with the roles of MYB family proteins in tumor cell plasticity, therapy resistance, and other hallmarks of cancer. We also discuss studies that provide mechanistic insights into the oncogenic functions of MYB transcription factors to identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Myb Repression Mediates Stat5b-knockdown-induced Apoptosis and Inhibits Proliferation of Glioblastoma Stem Cells

BACKGROUND/AIM

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor in adults, and glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) contribute to treatment resistance and recurrence. Inhibition of Stat5b in GSCs suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Herein, we investigated the mechanisms of growth inhibition by Stat5b knockdown (KD) in GSCs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

GSCs were established from a murine glioblastoma model in which shRNA-p53 and EGFR/Ras mutants were induced in vivo using a Sleeping Beauty transposon system. Microarray analyses were performed on Stat5b-KD GSCs to identify genes that are differentially expressed downstream of Stat5b. RT-qPCR and western blot analyses were used to determine Myb levels in GSCs. Myb-overexpressing GSCs were induced by electroporation. Proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by a trypan blue dye exclusion test and annexin-V staining, respectively.

RESULTS

MYB, which is involved in the Wnt pathway, was identified as a novel gene whose expression was down-regulated by Stat5b-KD in GSCs. Both MYB mRNA and protein levels were down-regulated by Stat5b-KD. Overexpression of Myb rescued cell proliferation that was suppressed by Stat5b-KD. Furthermore, Stat5b-KD-induced apoptosis in GSCs was significantly inhibited by Myb overexpression.

CONCLUSION

Down-regulation of Myb mediates Stat5b-KD-induced inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in GSCs. This may represent a promising novel therapeutic strategy against glioblastoma.

MYB oncoproteins: emerging players and potential therapeutic targets in human cancer

MYB transcription factors are highly conserved from plants to vertebrates, indicating that their functions embrace fundamental mechanisms in the biology of cells and organisms. In humans, the MYB gene family is composed of three members: MYB, MYBL1 and MYBL2, encoding the transcription factors MYB, MYBL1, and MYBL2 (also known as c-MYB, A-MYB, and B-MYB), respectively. A truncated version of MYB, the prototype member of the MYB family, was originally identified as the product of the retroviral oncogene v-myb, which causes leukaemia in birds. This led to the hypothesis that aberrant activation of vertebrate MYB could also cause cancer. Despite more than three decades have elapsed since the isolation of v-myb, only recently investigators were able to detect MYB genes rearrangements and mutations, smoking gun evidence of the involvement of MYB family members in human cancer. In this review, we will highlight studies linking the activity of MYB family members to human malignancies and experimental therapeutic interventions tailored for MYB-expressing cancers.

MYB - A regulatory factor in hematopoiesis

MYB is a transcription factor which was identified in birds as a viral oncogene (v-MYB). Its cellular counterpart was subsequently isolated as c-MYB which has three functional domains - DNA binding domain, transactivation domain and negative regulatory domain. c-MYB is essential for survival, and deletion of both alleles of the gene results in embryonic death. It is highly expressed in hematopoietic cells, thymus and neural tissue, and required for T and B lymphocyte development and erythroid maturation. Additionally, aberrant MYB expression has been found in numerous solid cancer cells and human leukemia. Recent studies have also implicated c-MYB in the regulation of expression of fetal hemoglobin which is highly beneficial to the β-hemoglobinopathies (beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease). These findings suggest that MYB could be a potential therapeutic target in leukemia, and possibly also a target for therapeutic increase of fetal hemoglobin in the β-hemoglobinopathies.

Transformation by v-Myb

The v-myb oncogene of the avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) is unique among known oncogenes in that it causes only acute leukemia in animals and transforms only hematopoietic cells in culture. AMV was discovered in the 1930s as a virus that caused a disease in chickens that is similar to acute myelogenous leukemia in humans (Hall et al., 1941). This avian retrovirus played an important role in the history of cancer research for two reasons. First, AMV was used to demonstrate that all oncogenic viruses did not contain a single cancer-causing principle. In particular, although both Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and AMV could replicate in cultures of either embryonic fibroblasts or hematopoietic cells, RSV could transform only fibroblasts whereas AMV could transform only hematopoietic cells (Baluda, 1963; Durban and Boettiger, 1981a). Second, chickens infected with AMV develop remarkably high white counts and therefore their peripheral blood contains remarkably large quantities of viral particles (Beard, 1963). For this reason AMV was often used as a prototypic retrovirus in order to study viral assembly and later to produce large amounts of reverse transcriptase for both research and commercial purposes. Following the discovery of the v-src oncogene of RSV and the demonstration that it arose from the normal c-src proto-oncogene, a number of acute leukemia viruses were analysed by similar techniques and found to also contain viral oncogenes of cellular origin (Roussel et al., 1979). In the case of AMV, it was shown that almost the entire retroviral env gene had been replaced by a sequence of cellular origin (initially called mab or amv, but later renamed v-myb) (Duesberg et al., 1980; Souza et al., 1980). Remarkably, sequences contained in this myb oncogene were shared between AMV and the avian E26 leukemia virus, but were not contained in any other acutely transforming retroviruses. In addition, the E26 virus contained a second sequence of cellular origin (ets) that was unique. The E26 leukemia virus was first described in the 1960s and causes an acute erythroblastosis in chickens, more reminiscent of the disease caused by avian erythroblastosis virus (AEV) than by AMV (Ivanov et al., 1962).

Retroviral insertional activation of the c-myb proto-oncogene in a Marek's disease T-lymphoma cell line

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an avian herpesvirus that causes, in chickens, a lymphoproliferative disease characterized by malignant transformation of T lymphocytes. The rapid onset of polyclonal tumors indicates the existence of MDV-encoded oncogenic products. However, the molecular basis of MDV-induced lymphoproliferative disease and latency remains largely unclear. Several lines of evidence suggest that MDV and Rous-associated virus (RAV) might cooperate in the development of B-cell lymphomas induced by RAV. Our present results indicate for the first time that MDV and RAV might also act synergistically in the development of T-cell lymphomas. We report an example of an MDV-transformed T-lymphoblastoid cell line (T9) expressing high levels of a truncated C-MYB protein as a result of RAV integration within one c-myb allele. The chimeric RAV-c-myb mRNA species initiated in the 5' long terminal repeat of RAV are deprived of sequences corresponding to c-myb exons 1 to 3. The attenuation of MDV oncogenicity has been strongly related to structural changes in the MDV BamHI-D and BamHI-H DNA fragments. We have established that both DNA restriction fragments are rearranged in the T9 MDV-transformed cells. Our results suggest that retroviral insertional activation of the c-myb proto-oncogene is a critical factor involved in the maintenance of the transformed phenotype and the tumorigenic potential of this T-lymphoma cell line.

Identification of an inducible regulator of c-myb expression during T-cell activation

Resting T cells express very low levels of c-Myb protein. During T-cell activation, c-myb expression is induced and much of the increase in expression occurs at the transcriptional level. We identified a region of the c-myb 5' flanking sequence that increased c-myb expression during T-cell activation. In vivo footprinting by ligation-mediated PCR was performed to correlate in vivo protein binding with functional activity. A protein footprint was visible over this region of the c-myb 5' flanking sequence in activated T cells but not in unactivated T cells. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) with nuclear extract from activated T cells and an oligonucleotide of this binding site demonstrated a new protein-DNA complex, referred to as CMAT for c-myb in activated T cells; this complex was not present in unactivated T cells. Because the binding site showed some sequence similarity with the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) binding site, we compared the kinetics of induction of the two binding complexes and the molecular masses of the two proteins. Studies of the kinetics of induction showed that the NFAT EMSA binding complex appeared earlier than the CMAT complex. The NFAT protein migrated more slowly in a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel than the CMAT protein did. In addition, an antibody against NFAT did not cross-react with the CMAT protein. The appearance of the CMAT binding complex was inhibited by both cyclosporin A and rapamycin. The CMAT protein appears to be a novel inducible protein involved in the regulation of c-myb expression during T-cell activation.

Protein truncation is not required for c-myb proto-oncogene activity in neuroretina cells

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) differs from its normal cellular counterpart by a truncation at both its amino and carboxyl termini and by a substitution of 11 amino acid residues. We had previously shown that v-myb-containing AMV, in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor, transformed chicken neuroretina (CNR) cells. To understand the mechanism of c-myb activation, we have tested whether avian retroviruses that express the full-length c-Myb are also active on CNR cells. We have found that c-Myb, like v-Myb, strongly increases the basic fibroblast growth factor response of CNR cells and that these c-myb-expressing cells are able to grow in soft agar in the presence of the growth factor. We have also found that, in contrast to normal or v-myb-expressing AMV-transformed CNR cells, c-Myb-transformed cells express mim-1, a granulocyte-specific gene. However, normal v-Myb- and c-Myb-expressing CNR cells all express the pax-QNR gene, a newly described paired and homeobox-containing gene specifically expressed in the neuroretina. We conclude that, in contrast to what has been described for hematopoietic cells, overexpression of c-Myb is sufficient to activate gene expression and to induce an abnormal behavior of CNR cells.

Definition of functional domains in P135gag-myb-ets and p48v-myb proteins required to maintain the response of neuroretina cells to basic fibroblast growth factor

The v-myb- and v-ets-containing E26 retrovirus induces the proliferation of chicken neuroretina (CNR) cells in minimal medium. Proliferation of E26 CNR cells is strongly stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The v-myb-containing avian myeloblastosis virus also induces the proliferation of infected CNR cells stimulated by bFGF. Both E26 CNR and avian myeloblastosis virus CNR cells are able to form colonies in soft agar in the presence of bFGF. This suggests that the v-myb product, a nuclear sequence-specific DNA-binding protein which activates gene expression in transient transfection assays, plays a role in the proliferative response of the infected CNR cells. To determine the structure-function relationships of P135gag-myb-ets and p48v-myb, we have used deletion mutants expressed in retroviral vectors and have analyzed their effect on CNR cell proliferation as well as their effect on the CNR cell response to bFGF. We show that v-ets is not required for bFGF stimulation but increases the proliferation of CNR cells in minimal medium. In the v-myb mutants, the gag sequences derived from the helper virus increase the potency of the myb gene. The carboxyl-terminal domain required for the growth and transformation of myeloid cells and needed for maximal trans-activation in transient DNA transfection assays in fibroblasts was not required for the growth and bFGF response of CNR cells. In contrast, the domain encompassing amino acids 240 to 301 (containing part of the transcriptional activation domain of v-myb) was absolutely required for the response of CNR cells to bFGF and could be functionally replaced by the carboxyl-terminal transcriptional activation domain of the VP16 protein of herpes simplex virus.

Transformation by v-myb correlates with trans-activation of gene expression

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus causes acute myelomonocytic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. Its protein product p48v-myb is a nuclear, sequence-specific, DNA-binding protein which activates gene expression in transient DNA transfection studies. To investigate the relationship between transformation and trans-activation by v-myb, we constructed 15 in-frame linker insertion mutants. The 12 mutants which transformed myeloid cells also trans-activated gene expression, whereas the 3 mutants which did not transform also did not trans-activate. This implies that trans-activation is required for transformation by v-myb. One of the transformation-defective mutants localized to the cell nucleus but failed to bind DNA. The other two transformation-defective mutants localized to the cell nucleus and bound DNA but nevertheless failed to trans-activate. These latter mutants define two distinct domains of p48v-myb which control trans-activation by DNA-bound protein, one within the amino-terminal DNA-binding domain itself and one in a carboxyl-terminal domain which is not required for DNA binding.

Transformation by v-myb correlates with trans-activation of gene expression

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus causes acute myelomonocytic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. Its protein product p48v-myb is a nuclear, sequence-specific, DNA-binding protein which activates gene expression in transient DNA transfection studies. To investigate the relationship between transformation and trans-activation by v-myb, we constructed 15 in-frame linker insertion mutants. The 12 mutants which transformed myeloid cells also trans-activated gene expression, whereas the 3 mutants which did not transform also did not trans-activate. This implies that trans-activation is required for transformation by v-myb. One of the transformation-defective mutants localized to the cell nucleus but failed to bind DNA. The other two transformation-defective mutants localized to the cell nucleus and bound DNA but nevertheless failed to trans-activate. These latter mutants define two distinct domains of p48v-myb which control trans-activation by DNA-bound protein, one within the amino-terminal DNA-binding domain itself and one in a carboxyl-terminal domain which is not required for DNA binding.

Characterization of the v-myb DNA binding domain

The transforming protein encoded by the v-myb oncogene is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that is thought to be involved in the regulation of gene expression. The N-terminal region of the v-myb protein is composed of two highly conserved tandem repeat sequences of unknown function. It has been speculated that the N-terminal v-myb repeats might be crucial for DNA-binding, since N-terminal deletions destroy the DNA-binding activity of the v-myb protein. Here, we have studied the v-myb DNA-binding domain in more detail. Our results show that the N-terminal region of the v-myb protein is sufficient for specific DNA-binding. Dissection of this region suggests that both repeats are required for DNA-binding, but that both repeats play different roles in v-myb protein DNA interaction. We also show that the myb repeats of a drosophila melanogaster homolog of c-myb function as sequence-specific DNA-binding domain. Our results support the view that specific sequence-recognition, mediated by the conserved myb repeats, is a general feature of myb-related proteins.

Activation of transcription by v-myb: evidence for two different mechanisms

The retroviral oncogene v-myb encodes a nuclear, sequence-specific DNA-binding protein. To investigate the possibility that v-myb encodes a transcriptional regulator, we used a transient cotransfection assay to explore the potential of v-myb to influence the expression of other genes. We found that expression of a chicken lysozyme promoter/CAT gene construct was activated by v-myb in the presence of myb-specific binding sites. Action was not observed with a truncated v-myb protein lacking its DNA-binding domain. We also observed that expression of a hybrid human HSP70 promoter/CAT gene, lacking myb-specific binding sites, was activated by v-myb. However, in this case, the truncated v-myb protein, which lacked its DNA-binding domain, also activated HSP70/CAT expression, indicating that trans-activation of this gene construct was independent of the sequence-specific DNA-binding activity of the v-myb protein. These observations suggest that v-myb encodes a trans-activator and that activation of gene expression occurs by two different mechanisms, one of which involves specific binding of v-myb protein to the regulated gene.

Two nuclear oncogenic proteins, P135gag-myb-ets and p61/63myc, cooperate to induce transformation of chicken neuroretina cells

Several studies have shown that full transformation of primary rodent fibroblasts can be achieved in vitro through the cooperation of two oncogenes (usually one nuclear and one cytoplasmic) classified on the basis of different complementation groups. We have shown previously that cooperation between v-mil (cytoplasmic, serine-threonine kinase product), and v-myc (nuclear, DNA-binding product) is required to transform 7-day-old chicken neuroretina cells, which in usual culture medium do not rapidly proliferate. v-mil induces sustained growth of chicken neuroretina cells without transformation; v-myc fails to stimulate the proliferation of chicken neuroretina cells but is required to achieve transformation of the proliferating cells. Here, we present results indicating that the P135gag-myb-ets nuclear protein of avian erythroblastosis virus E26 is able to induce proliferation but not transformation of chicken neuroretina cells. v-myc is required in addition to P135gag-myb-ets to achieve chicken neuroretina cell transformation. In contrast, we found that the P135gag-myb-ets and P100gag-mil proteins are not able to cooperate in this system.

The ets sequence is required for induction of erythroblastosis in chickens by avian retrovirus E26

E26 is a replication-defective avian retrovirus that causes an erythroblastic leukemia in vivo and transforms hematopoietic precursor cells of both the erythroid and the myeloid lineages in vitro. The E26 genome contains two sets of cell-derived sequences, ets and myb. myb sequences are also present in avian myeloblastosis virus, which transforms myeloblasts exclusively. To determine whether the ets sequence is responsible for the erythroid specificity of E26, we analyzed the transforming activities of several viruses carrying mutations in the ets sequence constructed in vitro. The mutant viruses retained the ability to transform myeloid cells in vitro, indicating that the myb oncogene is sufficient for this viral function. However, the ets-deficient viruses did not cause an overt leukemia in chickens. The results indicate that the ets sequence is required for the induction of erythroblastosis by E26.

DNA-binding activity associated with the v-myb oncogene product is not sufficient for transformation

The product of the v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus is a nuclear protein with an associated DNA-binding activity. We demonstrated that the highly conserved amino-terminal domain of p48v-myb is required for its associated DNA-binding activity. This activity is not required for the nuclear localization of p48v-myb. Furthermore, the associated DNA-binding activity and nuclear localization of p48v-myb together are not sufficient for transformation.

Structural and functional domains of the myb oncogene: requirements for nuclear transport, myeloid transformation, and colony formation

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus causes acute myelomonocytic leukemia in vivo and transforms only myeloid cells in vitro. Its product, p48v-myb, is a nuclear protein of unknown function. To determine structure-function relationships for this protein, we constructed a series of deletion mutants of v-myb, expressed them in retroviral vectors, and studied their biochemical and biological properties. We used these mutants to identify two separate domains of p48v-myb which had distinct roles in its accumulation in the cell nucleus. We showed that the viral sequences which normally encode both termini of p48v-myb were dispensible for transformation. In contrast, both copies of the highly conserved v-myb amino-terminal repeat were required for transformation. We also identified a carboxyl-terminal domain of p48v-myb which was required for the growth of v-myb-transformed myeloblasts in soft agar but not for morphological transformation.

Organization of 5'-proximal c-myb exons in chicken DNA. Implications for c-myb tissue-specific transcription

The organization of 5'-proximal c-myb exons in chicken DNA has been established by restriction enzyme mapping and nucleotide sequencing. Hybridization studies performed with cDNA probes revealed that yolk sac and thymic c-myb RNAs differ in their 5'-termini. A comparison of the genomic c-myb sequence with that of cDNAs isolated from normal thymic and lymphoma avian cells suggests that different promoter regions are used to initiate c-myb transcription in hematopoietic cells of different origins.

Solid-phase synthesis of a nonadecapeptide coded for by the v-myb oncogene

A nonadecapeptide comprising a predicted B-cell determinant from the v-myb oncoprotein was synthesized by Merrifield's solid-phase method. Hydrogen chloride in dichloromethane was used for protective t-butyloxycarbonyl group removal; the deprotection was monitored using a new qualitative deprotection test. The nonadecapeptide coupled to a carrier elicited a high titre of protein-reactive antipeptide antibodies.

Oncogene expression in prostate cancer: Dunning R3327 rat dorsal prostatic adenocarcinoma system

Steady-state levels of myc, fos, p53, sis, and neu mRNAs were measured in eight variants derived from the Dunning R3327 rat prostate adenocarcinoma and compared to levels in normal dorsal prostate. Expression of the myb and erbB oncogenes in the Dunning tumors was below the limits of detection. Myc, p53, and sis mRNA levels in all tumors were at or above control levels. Fos mRNA levels were below control levels in four of five anaplastic tumors and were above control levels in the remaining tumors. A comparison of mRNA levels along the two Dunning lineages revealed that increased expression of these oncogenes did not correlate with tumor progression.

Chapter 12 Compound Biopolymers and Biooligomers

This chapter is devoted to the separation of simple saccharides. In this chapter, the rapid chromatographic separation of natural oligomeric or polymeric compounds containing important molecular moieties of a different type are discussed, such as nucleoprotein complexes, glycolipids, glycopeptides and glycoside oligomeric derivatives. In addition, separations of several natural complex substances that are not well known are discussed. This chapter concludes with a brief discussion on the separation techniques used for the miscellaneous polymeric and oligomeric substances.

c-myb protein expression is a late event during T-lymphocyte activation

The expression of p80c-myb was examined during the activation of resting human T lymphocytes. Before activation, no detectable p80c-myb was present. Synthesis of p80c-myb was observed only after initiation of the S phase of the cell cycle.

Subnuclear associations of the v-myb oncogene product and actin are dependent on ionic strength during nuclear isolation

The method used to isolate nuclei has a direct effect on the subnuclear association of the v-myb product, p48v-myb, and nuclear actin. Analysis of nuclei subjected to various isolation procedures showed that disruption of native nuclear structure during hypotonic treatment resulted in dissociation of p48v-myb from the nuclear matrix.

v-myb does not prevent the expression of c-myb in avian erythroblasts

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus transforms myeloid cells exclusively, both in vivo and in vitro. The c-myb proto-oncogene from which v-myb arose is expressed at relatively high levels in immature hematopoietic cells of the lymphoid, erythroid, and myeloid lineages but not in myeloblasts transformed by v-myb. This finding suggested that the nuclear v-myb gene product p48v-myb might act directly to inhibit the normal expression of the c-myb gene. I have therefore used a selectable avian retroviral vector to express p48v-myb in avian erythroblasts which normally express high levels of the c-myb gene product p75c-myb. The results demonstrate that p48v-myb and p75c-myb can be coexpressed in the nuclei of cloned cells. Therefore, p48v-myb does not invariably prevent the expression of p75c-myb.

Subnuclear associations of the v-myb oncogene product and actin are dependent on ionic strength during nuclear isolation

The method used to isolate nuclei has a direct effect on the subnuclear association of the v-myb product, p48v-myb, and nuclear actin. Analysis of nuclei subjected to various isolation procedures showed that disruption of native nuclear structure during hypotonic treatment resulted in dissociation of p48v-myb from the nuclear matrix.

c-myb protein expression is a late event during T-lymphocyte activation

The expression of p80c-myb was examined during the activation of resting human T lymphocytes. Before activation, no detectable p80c-myb was present. Synthesis of p80c-myb was observed only after initiation of the S phase of the cell cycle.

Expression of a truncated v-myb product in transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts

Transformed cells have been isolated after transfection of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) with the DNA of a recombinant clone (KXA 3457) in which the v-myb sequences are flanked by the two AMV-LTRs. Abnormal myb-specific RNA species and myb-related polypeptides were found to be expressed in these cells, suggesting that transformation of CEF by v-myb might require alterations of the oncogene product.

env-encoded residues are not required for transformation by p48v-myb

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus induces acute myeloblastic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. The protein product of this oncogene, p48v-myb, is partially encoded by the retroviral gag and env genes. We demonstrated that the env-encoded carboxyl terminus of p48v-myb is not required for transformation. Our results showed, in addition, that a coding region of c-myb which is not essential for transformation was transduced by avian myeloblastosis virus.

Coordinate regulation of myelomonocytic phenotype by v-myb and v-myc

Both avian myeloblastosis virus (by the action of v-myb) and avian myelocytomatosis virus MC29 (by the action of v-myc) transform cells of the myelomonocytic lineage. Whereas avian myeloblastosis virus elicits a relatively immature phenotype, cells transformed by MC29 resemble mature macrophages. When cells previously transformed by v-myb were superinfected with MC29, their phenotype was rapidly altered to that of a more mature cell. These superinfected cells expressed both v-myb (at a level similar to that found before superinfection) and v-myc. It therefore appears that the expression of v-myc can elicit certain properties of a more differentiated phenotype. In addition, unlike cells transformed by v-myb alone, the cells expressing both v-myb and v-myc could not be induced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to differentiate to fully mature macrophages. Cells with a morphology similar to that of the superinfected cells were elicited by simultaneously infecting yolk sac macrophages with avian myeloblastosis virus and MC29. Such cells expressed both v-myb and v-myc. These results indicate that expression of v-myb and v-myc in infected cells coordinately regulates myelomonocytic phenotype and that the two viral oncogenes vary in their ability to interfere with tumor promoter-induced differentiation. Our findings also sustain previous suggestions that the oncogenes v-myb and v-myc may not transform target cells by simply blocking differentiation.

Subnuclear localization of proteins encoded by the oncogene v-myb and its cellular homolog c-myb

The retroviral transforming gene v-myb encodes a 45,000-Mr nuclear transforming protein (p45v-myb). p45v-myb is a truncated and mutated version of a 75,000-Mr protein encoded by the chicken c-myb gene (p75c-myb). Like its viral counterpart, p75c-myb is located in the cell nucleus. As a first step in identifying nuclear targets involved in cellular transformation by v-myb and in c-myb function, we determined the subnuclear locations of p45v-myb and p75c-myb. Approximately 80 to 90% of the total p45v-myb and p75c-myb present in nuclei was released from nuclei at low salt concentrations, exhibited DNA-binding activity, and was attached to nucleoprotein particles when released from the nuclei after digestion with nuclease. A minor portion of approximately 10 to 20% of the total p45v-myb and p75c-myb remained tightly associated with the nuclei even in the presence of 2 M NaCl. These observations suggest that both proteins are associated with two nuclear substructures tentatively identified as the chromatin and the nuclear matrix. The function of myb proteins may therefore depend on interactions with several nuclear targets.

Human c-myb protooncogene: nucleotide sequence of cDNA and organization of the genomic locus

We have isolated cDNA clones of the human c-myb mRNA that contain approximately 3.4 kilobases of the approximately 3.8-kilobase mRNA sequence. Nucleotide sequence analysis shows that the c-myb mRNA contains an open reading frame of 1920 nucleotides, which could encode a 72-kDa protein. The cDNA nucleotide sequence and the predicted amino acid sequence of the c-myb protein are highly homologous to the corresponding chicken and mouse proteins. In particular, a region toward the NH2 terminus of the protein containing a 3-fold tandem repeat of 51 residues is evolutionarily conserved and is the only region of homology with the Drosophila c-myb protein. This region may represent a functionally important structure, most likely the DNA-binding domain. cDNA clones have been used to isolate genomic clones and to define a preliminary intron/exon organization of the c-myb gene. Identification of 5' and 3' coding and noncoding exons indicates that the human c-myb locus spans a 40-kilobase region.

Nuclear compartmentalization of the v-myb oncogene product

Nuclei obtained from chicken leukemic myeloblasts transformed by avian myeloblastosis virus were fractionated into various subnuclear compartments, which were then analyzed by specific immunoprecipitation for the presence of the leukemogenic product, p48v-myb, of the viral oncogene. In cells labeled for 30 or 60 min with L-[35S]methionine and in unlabeled exponentially dividing leukemic cells analyzed by Western blotting, p48v-myb was detected within the nucleoplasm (29 +/- 9% [standard deviation] of the total), chromatin (7 +/- 4%), and lamina-nuclear matrix (64 +/- 9%). Also, in myeloblasts analyzed by immunofluorescence during mitosis, p48v-myb appeared to be dispersed through the cell like the lamina-nuclear matrix complex. Strong attachment to the nuclear matrix-lamina complex suggests that p48v-myb may be involved in DNA replication or transcription or both.

Transformation-defective mutant of avian myeloblastosis virus that is temperature sensitive for production of transforming protein p45v-myb

We have characterized a mutant of avian myeloblastosis virus (strain GA907/7) that shows a reduced capacity to transform myelomonocytic cells at the nonpermissive temperature. Myeloblasts transformed by this mutant suffer a substantial decrease in the amount of the transforming protein p45v-myb when shifted from the permissive to the nonpermissive temperature. We presume that the 5- to 10-fold decrease in the amount of p45v-myb causes the loss of the transformed phenotype. The decrease is due to a reduction in the level of v-myb mRNA. Mutant GA907/7 thus provides genetic evidence that p45v-myb is the transforming protein of avian myeloblastosis virus and apparently represents an unusual defect in the production or stability of mRNA.

Identification of c-myb (chicken), c-myb (mouse) and v-myb (AMV) protein products by immunoprecipitation with antibodies directed against a synthetic peptide

A synthetic nonadecapeptide (IL 19) derived from a sequence of v-myb was covalently bound to haemocyanin and used for immunization. Anti-IL 19 serum immunoprecipitated a 75 kDa protein in the lysate of metabolically labelled chicken and murine thymus cells. Presaturation of the serum with IL 19 abolished this immunoprecipitation, thus indicating that the product of c-myb in both chicken and murine thymuses is the 75 kDa protein (p75c-myb). Anti IL 19 serum also precipitated p48v-myb in the lysate of nonproducer myeloblasts.

Expression of molecular clones of v-myb in avian and mammalian cells independently of transformation

We demonstrated that molecular clones of the v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) can direct the synthesis of p48v-myb both in avian and mammalian cells which are not targets for transformation by AMV. To accomplish this, we constructed dominantly selectable avian leukosis virus derivatives which efficiently coexpress the protein products of the Tn5 neo gene and the v-myb oncogene. The use of chemically transformed QT6 quail cells for proviral DNA transfection or retroviral infection, followed by G418 selection, allowed the generation of cell lines which continuously produce both undeleted infectious neo-myb viral stocks and p48v-myb. The presence of a simian virus 40 origin of replication in the proviral plasmids also permitted high-level transient expression of p48v-myb in simian COS cells without intervening cycles of potentially mutagenic retroviral replication. These experiments establish that the previously reported DNA sequence of v-myb does in fact encode p48v-myb, the transforming protein of AMV.

Structural organization and nucleotide sequence of mouse c-myb oncogene: activation in ABPL tumors is due to viral integration in an intron which results in the deletion of the 5' coding sequences

Bacteriophage libraries of mouse DNA were screened for sequences homologous to the v-myb oncogene and two overlapping clones containing the v-myb related region were isolated. Restriction enzyme mapping, heteroduplex analysis and nucleotide sequence analysis revealed the presence of nine exons. Six of these exons are homologous to the v-myb region while the other three exons are derived from the 5' region which is deleted in the viral oncogene. The sequences downstream to the sixth v-myb exon are not included in the 17 kbp of DNA sequences analyzed in this study. Comparison of the structure of the normal c-myb clone with its rearranged couterpart present in plasmacytoid lymphosarcomas revealed that the rearrangements occur in this locus as a result of viral integration. Present studies demonstrate that such a viral insertion interrupts the c-myb coding region at a region identical to that observed in the generation of the v-myb gene of avian myeloblastosis virus and results in the synthesis of mRNAs that lack the same 5' coding region.

Transforming potential of the v-myb oncogene from avian myeloblastosis virus: alterations in the oncogene product may reveal a new target specificity

Transfection of brown leghorn chicken embryo fibroblasts by DNA containing v-myb sequences cloned either in a complete AMV proviral DNA or in a retroviral derived vector has led to the isolation of two kinds of transformed cells. A characterization of the proviral sequences retained and expressed in these transformed cells revealed that they contained either new or altered v-myb-related RNA species. The experiments presented in this paper also show that both types of transformants expressed truncated myb-related polypeptides, suggesting that alterations of the v-myb product may result in a new target specificity, leading to the transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts.

Antibodies to the evolutionarily conserved amino-terminal region of the v-myb-encoded protein detect the c-myb protein in widely divergent metazoan species

Antibodies directed against a bacterial fusion protein that contains the domain encoded by the highly evolutionarily conserved 5' one-third of the v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) detect the protein products of various members of the myb gene family. Immunoprecipitation or immunoblot analyses with these antibodies yielded the following information. First, the products of the v-myb oncogenes of AMV (p48v-myb) and of E26 virus (p135gag-myb-ets) contain this highly conserved amino acid sequence, as previously hypothesized. Second, p75c-myb, the product of the chicken c-myb protooncogene, also contains this protein domain. Third, these antibodies have identified the products of the human, murine, and Drosophila c-myb genes, which were all found to be nuclear proteins of Mr 75,000-80,000. The human c-myb protein product is present in immature cells of the erythroid, myeloid, and lymphoid lineages.

Coordinate regulation of myelomonocytic phenotype by v-myb and v-myc

Both avian myeloblastosis virus (by the action of v-myb) and avian myelocytomatosis virus MC29 (by the action of v-myc) transform cells of the myelomonocytic lineage. Whereas avian myeloblastosis virus elicits a relatively immature phenotype, cells transformed by MC29 resemble mature macrophages. When cells previously transformed by v-myb were superinfected with MC29, their phenotype was rapidly altered to that of a more mature cell. These superinfected cells expressed both v-myb (at a level similar to that found before superinfection) and v-myc. It therefore appears that the expression of v-myc can elicit certain properties of a more differentiated phenotype. In addition, unlike cells transformed by v-myb alone, the cells expressing both v-myb and v-myc could not be induced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to differentiate to fully mature macrophages. Cells with a morphology similar to that of the superinfected cells were elicited by simultaneously infecting yolk sac macrophages with avian myeloblastosis virus and MC29. Such cells expressed both v-myb and v-myc. These results indicate that expression of v-myb and v-myc in infected cells coordinately regulates myelomonocytic phenotype and that the two viral oncogenes vary in their ability to interfere with tumor promoter-induced differentiation. Our findings also sustain previous suggestions that the oncogenes v-myb and v-myc may not transform target cells by simply blocking differentiation.

Nucleotide sequence of chicken c-myb complementary DNA and implications for myb oncogene activation

Avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV), like other acute transforming viruses, arose by recombination between its helper virus and host cellular sequences. The latter sequences, termed v-myb, are responsible for the oncogenic properties of the virus. AMV causes acute myeloblastic leukaemia in chickens and transforms a specific class of haematopoietic cells in vitro, but does not induce morphological transformation of cultured fibroblasts, suggesting that only a restricted target-cell population is responsive to its transforming gene product. The normal cellular counterpart of v-myb, c-myb, is highly conserved and is present in all vertebrate and some invertebrate species examined. DNA rearrangements and altered expression of the myb oncogene have been reported in mouse lymphoid tumours and human myeloid and colon tumours. The mechanism of activation of the cellular proto-oncogenes is thought to involve the structural alteration of the coding regions that result in either the synthesis of an altered gene product or the enhanced expression of a proto-oncogene caused by alterations in its regulatory elements. To distinguish between these two mechanisms, we have cloned and sequenced the chicken c-myb complementary DNA and compared it with that of v-myb sequences. We demonstrate that during the transduction of the cellular sequences and/or viral passage a substantial portion of the coding region of the c-myb gene has been lost from both the 5' and 3' ends, resulting in the generation of a truncated gene product that mediates the transforming function of the virus.

Subnuclear localization of proteins encoded by the oncogene v-myb and its cellular homolog c-myb

The retroviral transforming gene v-myb encodes a 45,000-Mr nuclear transforming protein (p45v-myb). p45v-myb is a truncated and mutated version of a 75,000-Mr protein encoded by the chicken c-myb gene (p75c-myb). Like its viral counterpart, p75c-myb is located in the cell nucleus. As a first step in identifying nuclear targets involved in cellular transformation by v-myb and in c-myb function, we determined the subnuclear locations of p45v-myb and p75c-myb. Approximately 80 to 90% of the total p45v-myb and p75c-myb present in nuclei was released from nuclei at low salt concentrations, exhibited DNA-binding activity, and was attached to nucleoprotein particles when released from the nuclei after digestion with nuclease. A minor portion of approximately 10 to 20% of the total p45v-myb and p75c-myb remained tightly associated with the nuclei even in the presence of 2 M NaCl. These observations suggest that both proteins are associated with two nuclear substructures tentatively identified as the chromatin and the nuclear matrix. The function of myb proteins may therefore depend on interactions with several nuclear targets.

Nuclear compartmentalization of the v-myb oncogene product

Nuclei obtained from chicken leukemic myeloblasts transformed by avian myeloblastosis virus were fractionated into various subnuclear compartments, which were then analyzed by specific immunoprecipitation for the presence of the leukemogenic product, p48v-myb, of the viral oncogene. In cells labeled for 30 or 60 min with L-[35S]methionine and in unlabeled exponentially dividing leukemic cells analyzed by Western blotting, p48v-myb was detected within the nucleoplasm (29 +/- 9% [standard deviation] of the total), chromatin (7 +/- 4%), and lamina-nuclear matrix (64 +/- 9%). Also, in myeloblasts analyzed by immunofluorescence during mitosis, p48v-myb appeared to be dispersed through the cell like the lamina-nuclear matrix complex. Strong attachment to the nuclear matrix-lamina complex suggests that p48v-myb may be involved in DNA replication or transcription or both.

Transformation-defective mutant of avian myeloblastosis virus that is temperature sensitive for production of transforming protein p45v-myb

We have characterized a mutant of avian myeloblastosis virus (strain GA907/7) that shows a reduced capacity to transform myelomonocytic cells at the nonpermissive temperature. Myeloblasts transformed by this mutant suffer a substantial decrease in the amount of the transforming protein p45v-myb when shifted from the permissive to the nonpermissive temperature. We presume that the 5- to 10-fold decrease in the amount of p45v-myb causes the loss of the transformed phenotype. The decrease is due to a reduction in the level of v-myb mRNA. Mutant GA907/7 thus provides genetic evidence that p45v-myb is the transforming protein of avian myeloblastosis virus and apparently represents an unusual defect in the production or stability of mRNA.

Biologically active proviral clone of myeloblastosis-associated virus type 1: implications for the genesis of avian myeloblastosis virus

A biologically active myeloblastosis-associated virus (MAV) provirus was cloned from a bacteriophage recombinant library constructed from leukemic chicken myeloblast DNA. The restriction endonuclease map of this clone was consistent with that of a type 1 MAV (MAV-1). Interference assays of virus recovered from cultured chicken embryo fibroblasts after DNA transfection established that the provirus was infectious and confirmed that it belonged to avian retrovirus subgroup A (type 1). Antipeptide antibodies raised against the env-encoded carboxyl terminus of p48myb, the transforming protein of avian myeloblastosis virus, specifically immunoprecipitated the gp37env from quail cells transfected with MAV-1 proviral DNA but not from cells infected with MAV-2. This suggests that MAV-1 rather than MAV-2 is the progenitor helper virus from which avian myeloblastosis virus arose by the transduction of cellular proto-oncogene sequences.

Transformation of Brown Leghorn chicken embryo fibroblasts by avian myeloblastosis virus proviral DNA

Brown Leghorn chicken embryo fibroblasts were transfected with a mixture of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) and myeloblastosis-associated virus type 1 (MAV1) proviral DNA purified from lambda-Charon 4A recombinant clones. A transformed cell line (T1AM) able to grow without anchorage in semisolid medium was obtained. The presence of both proviral AMV and MAV sequences was detected in T1AM DNA by hybridization with v-myb- and MAV1-specific probes. Altered AMV and MAV1 proviral genomes were found in T1AM genome. Characterization of the RNA species expressed in transformed cells showed that in addition to a 2.5-kilobase (kb) putative subgenomic v-myb-specific RNA, three other myb-containing RNAs (9.4, 8.4, and 7.0 kb) were present in T1AM cells. No AMV genomic RNA was detected. Also, a new 5.0-kb MAV1-specific RNA species was expressed in transformed cells in addition to MAV1 genomic RNA species (7.8 kb). No infectious AMV virions are released by T1AM cells. Chicken embryo fibroblasts infected by T1AM-released virions contained and expressed all MAV1 sequences detected in T1AM transformed cells but did not express any transformation parameter. These results indicated that the presence of AMV proviral sequences in T1AM cells is responsible for their transformed phenotype.