Skip to main content
PMC home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1988 Oct;8(10):4381–4388. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.10.4381

The human L-myc gene encodes multiple nuclear phosphoproteins from alternatively processed mRNAs.

J De Greve 1, J Battey 1, J Fedorko 1, M Birrer 1, G Evan 1, F Kaye 1, E Sausville 1, J Minna 1
PMCID: PMC365511  PMID: 3054516

Abstract

The human proto-oncogene L-myc generates at least four different mRNAs by alternative RNA processing. We have identified two phosphorylated L-myc proteins with molecular masses of 60,000 and 66,000 daltons [p60L-myc(human) and p66L-myc(human)] in a small-cell carcinoma line expressing high levels of L-myc mRNA. These proteins have a short half-life and are localized to the nuclear matrix fraction, as previously reported for the c-myc and N-myc proteins. In vitro translation experiments demonstrated that both the p60 and p66 species are encoded by a 3.9-kilobase (kb) mRNA which retains intron 1, while only the p60 protein is translated from a 3.6-kb L-myc mRNA which has had intron 1 removed. While L-myc proteins [p32L-myc(human) and p37L-myc(human)] could be synthesized in vitro from 2.2-kb mRNA templates, no such proteins were detected by immunoprecipitation in vivo. These observations suggest that alternative RNA processing of the L-myc transcript could play a role in determining the steady-state levels of the p60L-myc and p66L-myc proteins.

Full text

PDF
4384

Images in this article

4383Image
on p.4383
4385Image
on p.4385
4385Image
on p.4385
4386Image
on p.4386

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abrams H. D., Rohrschneider L. R., Eisenman R. N. Nuclear location of the putative transforming protein of avian myelocytomatosis virus. Cell. 1982 Jun;29(2):427–439. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90159-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alitalo K., Ramsay G., Bishop J. M., Pfeifer S. O., Colby W. W., Levinson A. D. Identification of nuclear proteins encoded by viral and cellular myc oncogenes. Nature. 1983 Nov 17;306(5940):274–277. doi: 10.1038/306274a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Alt F. W., DePinho R., Zimmerman K., Legouy E., Hatton K., Ferrier P., Tesfaye A., Yancopoulos G., Nisen P. The human myc gene family. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1986;51(Pt 2):931–941. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1986.051.01.106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Battey J., Moulding C., Taub R., Murphy W., Stewart T., Potter H., Lenoir G., Leder P. The human c-myc oncogene: structural consequences of translocation into the IgH locus in Burkitt lymphoma. Cell. 1983 Oct;34(3):779–787. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90534-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Birrer M. J., Segal S., DeGreve J. S., Kaye F., Sausville E. A., Minna J. D. L-myc cooperates with ras to transform primary rat embryo fibroblasts. Mol Cell Biol. 1988 Jun;8(6):2668–2673. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.6.2668. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bishop J. M. The molecular genetics of cancer. Science. 1987 Jan 16;235(4786):305–311. doi: 10.1126/science.3541204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brodeur G. M., Seeger R. C., Schwab M., Varmus H. E., Bishop J. M. Amplification of N-myc in untreated human neuroblastomas correlates with advanced disease stage. Science. 1984 Jun 8;224(4653):1121–1124. doi: 10.1126/science.6719137. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Carney D. N., Gazdar A. F., Bepler G., Guccion J. G., Marangos P. J., Moody T. W., Zweig M. H., Minna J. D. Establishment and identification of small cell lung cancer cell lines having classic and variant features. Cancer Res. 1985 Jun;45(6):2913–2923. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. DePinho R. A., Hatton K. S., Tesfaye A., Yancopoulos G. D., Alt F. W. The human myc gene family: structure and activity of L-myc and an L-myc pseudogene. Genes Dev. 1987 Dec;1(10):1311–1326. doi: 10.1101/gad.1.10.1311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Donner P., Greiser-Wilke I., Moelling K. Nuclear localization and DNA binding of the transforming gene product of avian myelocytomatosis virus. Nature. 1982 Mar 18;296(5854):262–269. doi: 10.1038/296262a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Evan G. I., Hancock D. C. Studies on the interaction of the human c-myc protein with cell nuclei: p62c-myc as a member of a discrete subset of nuclear proteins. Cell. 1985 Nov;43(1):253–261. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90030-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gazdar A. F., Carney D. N., Nau M. M., Minna J. D. Characterization of variant subclasses of cell lines derived from small cell lung cancer having distinctive biochemical, morphological, and growth properties. Cancer Res. 1985 Jun;45(6):2924–2930. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hann S. R., Abrams H. D., Rohrschneider L. R., Eisenman R. N. Proteins encoded by v-myc and c-myc oncogenes: identification and localization in acute leukemia virus transformants and bursal lymphoma cell lines. Cell. 1983 Oct;34(3):789–798. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90535-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hann S. R., Eisenman R. N. Proteins encoded by the human c-myc oncogene: differential expression in neoplastic cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Nov;4(11):2486–2497. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.11.2486. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hann S. R., King M. W., Bentley D. L., Anderson C. W., Eisenman R. N. A non-AUG translational initiation in c-myc exon 1 generates an N-terminally distinct protein whose synthesis is disrupted in Burkitt's lymphomas. Cell. 1988 Jan 29;52(2):185–195. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90507-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ikegaki N., Bukovsky J., Kennett R. H. Identification and characterization of the NMYC gene product in human neuroblastoma cells by monoclonal antibodies with defined specificities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Aug;83(16):5929–5933. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.16.5929. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Johnson B. E., Battey J., Linnoila I., Becker K. L., Makuch R. W., Snider R. H., Carney D. N., Minna J. D. Changes in the phenotype of human small cell lung cancer cell lines after transfection and expression of the c-myc proto-oncogene. J Clin Invest. 1986 Aug;78(2):525–532. doi: 10.1172/JCI112604. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Johnson B. E., Ihde D. C., Makuch R. W., Gazdar A. F., Carney D. N., Oie H., Russell E., Nau M. M., Minna J. D. myc family oncogene amplification in tumor cell lines established from small cell lung cancer patients and its relationship to clinical status and course. J Clin Invest. 1987 Jun;79(6):1629–1634. doi: 10.1172/JCI112999. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kaye F., Battey J., Nau M., Brooks B., Seifter E., De Greve J., Birrer M., Sausville E., Minna J. Structure and expression of the human L-myc gene reveal a complex pattern of alternative mRNA processing. Mol Cell Biol. 1988 Jan;8(1):186–195. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.1.186. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kelly K., Cochran B. H., Stiles C. D., Leder P. Cell-specific regulation of the c-myc gene by lymphocyte mitogens and platelet-derived growth factor. Cell. 1983 Dec;35(3 Pt 2):603–610. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90092-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Kohl N. E., Legouy E., DePinho R. A., Nisen P. D., Smith R. K., Gee C. E., Alt F. W. Human N-myc is closely related in organization and nucleotide sequence to c-myc. Nature. 1986 Jan 2;319(6048):73–77. doi: 10.1038/319073a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Krieg P. A., Melton D. A. Functional messenger RNAs are produced by SP6 in vitro transcription of cloned cDNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Sep 25;12(18):7057–7070. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.18.7057. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Land H., Parada L. F., Weinberg R. A. Tumorigenic conversion of primary embryo fibroblasts requires at least two cooperating oncogenes. Nature. 1983 Aug 18;304(5927):596–602. doi: 10.1038/304596a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Lee W. H., Murphree A. L., Benedict W. F. Expression and amplification of the N-myc gene in primary retinoblastoma. 1984 May 31-Jun 6Nature. 309(5967):458–460. doi: 10.1038/309458a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Little C. D., Nau M. M., Carney D. N., Gazdar A. F., Minna J. D. Amplification and expression of the c-myc oncogene in human lung cancer cell lines. Nature. 1983 Nov 10;306(5939):194–196. doi: 10.1038/306194a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Moore J. P., Hancock D. C., Littlewood T. D., Evan G. I. A sensitive and quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbence assay for the c-myc and N-myc oncoproteins. Oncogene Res. 1987;2(1):65–80. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Nau M. M., Brooks B. J., Battey J., Sausville E., Gazdar A. F., Kirsch I. R., McBride O. W., Bertness V., Hollis G. F., Minna J. D. L-myc, a new myc-related gene amplified and expressed in human small cell lung cancer. Nature. 1985 Nov 7;318(6041):69–73. doi: 10.1038/318069a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Nau M. M., Brooks B. J., Jr, Carney D. N., Gazdar A. F., Battey J. F., Sausville E. A., Minna J. D. Human small-cell lung cancers show amplification and expression of the N-myc gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Feb;83(4):1092–1096. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.4.1092. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Nisen P. D., Zimmerman K. A., Cotter S. V., Gilbert F., Alt F. W. Enhanced expression of the N-myc gene in Wilms' tumors. Cancer Res. 1986 Dec;46(12 Pt 1):6217–6222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Persson H., Hennighausen L., Taub R., DeGrado W., Leder P. Antibodies to human c-myc oncogene product: evidence of an evolutionarily conserved protein induced during cell proliferation. Science. 1984 Aug 17;225(4663):687–693. doi: 10.1126/science.6431612. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Persson H., Leder P. Nuclear localization and DNA binding properties of a protein expressed by human c-myc oncogene. Science. 1984 Aug 17;225(4663):718–721. doi: 10.1126/science.6463648. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Ramsay G., Evan G. I., Bishop J. M. The protein encoded by the human proto-oncogene c-myc. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7742–7746. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7742. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Ramsay G., Stanton L., Schwab M., Bishop J. M. Human proto-oncogene N-myc encodes nuclear proteins that bind DNA. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Dec;6(12):4450–4457. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.12.4450. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Rüther U., Müller-Hill B. Easy identification of cDNA clones. EMBO J. 1983;2(10):1791–1794. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1983.tb01659.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Schwab M., Alitalo K., Klempnauer K. H., Varmus H. E., Bishop J. M., Gilbert F., Brodeur G., Goldstein M., Trent J. Amplified DNA with limited homology to myc cellular oncogene is shared by human neuroblastoma cell lines and a neuroblastoma tumour. Nature. 1983 Sep 15;305(5931):245–248. doi: 10.1038/305245a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Schwab M., Varmus H. E., Bishop J. M. Human N-myc gene contributes to neoplastic transformation of mammalian cells in culture. Nature. 1985 Jul 11;316(6024):160–162. doi: 10.1038/316160a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Slamon D. J., Boone T. C., Seeger R. C., Keith D. E., Chazin V., Lee H. C., Souza L. M. Identification and characterization of the protein encoded by the human N-myc oncogene. Science. 1986 May 9;232(4751):768–772. doi: 10.1126/science.3008339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Steers E., Jr, Cuatrecasas P., Pollard H. B. The purification of beta-galactosidase from Escherichia coli by affinity chromatography. J Biol Chem. 1971 Jan 10;246(1):196–200. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Stone J., de Lange T., Ramsay G., Jakobovits E., Bishop J. M., Varmus H., Lee W. Definition of regions in human c-myc that are involved in transformation and nuclear localization. Mol Cell Biol. 1987 May;7(5):1697–1709. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.5.1697. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Watt R. A., Shatzman A. R., Rosenberg M. Expression and characterization of the human c-myc DNA-binding protein. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Mar;5(3):448–456. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.3.448. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Yancopoulos G. D., Nisen P. D., Tesfaye A., Kohl N. E., Goldfarb M. P., Alt F. W. N-myc can cooperate with ras to transform normal cells in culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Aug;82(16):5455–5459. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.16.5455. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES