Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1987 Dec;7(12):4266–4272. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.12.4266

Alternative processing of RNA transcribed from NMYC.

L W Stanton 1, J M Bishop 1
PMCID: PMC368108  PMID: 3437890

Abstract

NMYC is a gene whose amplification and overexpression have been implicated in the generation of certain human malignancies. Little is known of how the expression of NMYC is normally controlled. We have therefore characterized transcription from the gene and the structure and stability of the resulting mRNAs. Transcription from NMYC is exceptionally complex: it initiates at numerous sites that may be grouped under the control of two promoters, and the multiplicity of initiation sites combines with alternative splicing to engender two forms of mRNA. The mRNAs have different 5' leader sequences (alternative first exons of the gene) but identical bodies (the second and third exons of the gene). Both forms of mRNA are unstable, with half-lives of ca. 15 min. Both encode the previously identified 65,000 and 67,000-dalton products of NMYC. However, the alternative first exons contain distinctive open reading frames that may diversify the coding potential of NMYC. The complexities in transcription of NMYC expand the means by which expression of the gene might be controlled.

Full text

PDF
4266

Images in this article

4269Image
on p.4269
4269Image
on p.4269
4269Image
on p.4269

Selected References

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

  1. 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]
  2. Biggin M. D., Gibson T. J., Hong G. F. Buffer gradient gels and 35S label as an aid to rapid DNA sequence determination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(13):3963–3965. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.13.3963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. 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]
  4. Dani C., Blanchard J. M., Piechaczyk M., El Sabouty S., Marty L., Jeanteur P. Extreme instability of myc mRNA in normal and transformed human cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7046–7050. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7046. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DePinho R. A., Legouy E., Feldman L. B., Kohl N. E., Yancopoulos G. D., Alt F. W. Structure and expression of the murine N-myc gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Mar;83(6):1827–1831. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.6.1827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gonda T. J., Sheiness D. K., Bishop J. M. Transcripts from the cellular homologs of retroviral oncogenes: distribution among chicken tissues. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Jun;2(6):617–624. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.6.617. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. 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]
  8. Khalili K., Brady J., Khoury G. Translational regulation of SV40 early mRNA defines a new viral protein. Cell. 1987 Feb 27;48(4):639–645. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90242-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kohl N. E., Gee C. E., Alt F. W. Activated expression of the N-myc gene in human neuroblastomas and related tumors. Science. 1984 Dec 14;226(4680):1335–1337. doi: 10.1126/science.6505694. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kohl N. E., Kanda N., Schreck R. R., Bruns G., Latt S. A., Gilbert F., Alt F. W. Transposition and amplification of oncogene-related sequences in human neuroblastomas. Cell. 1983 Dec;35(2 Pt 1):359–367. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90169-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. 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]
  12. Kozak M. Comparison of initiation of protein synthesis in procaryotes, eucaryotes, and organelles. Microbiol Rev. 1983 Mar;47(1):1–45. doi: 10.1128/mr.47.1.1-45.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. 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]
  14. Leff S. E., Rosenfeld M. G., Evans R. M. Complex transcriptional units: diversity in gene expression by alternative RNA processing. Annu Rev Biochem. 1986;55:1091–1117. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.55.070186.005303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Messing J., Crea R., Seeburg P. H. A system for shotgun DNA sequencing. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981 Jan 24;9(2):309–321. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.2.309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mount S. M. A catalogue of splice junction sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 1982 Jan 22;10(2):459–472. doi: 10.1093/nar/10.2.459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nau M. M., Carney D. N., Battey J., Johnson B., Little C., Gazdar A., Minna J. D. Amplification, expression and rearrangement of c-myc and N-myc oncogenes in human lung cancer. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1984;113:172–177. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-69860-6_29. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pfeifer-Ohlsson S., Goustin A. S., Rydnert J., Wahlström T., Bjersing L., Stehelin D., Ohlsson R. Spatial and temporal pattern of cellular myc oncogene expression in developing human placenta: implications for embryonic cell proliferation. Cell. 1984 Sep;38(2):585–596. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90513-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. 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]
  20. Rogers J., Early P., Carter C., Calame K., Bond M., Hood L., Wall R. Two mRNAs with different 3' ends encode membrane-bound and secreted forms of immunoglobulin mu chain. Cell. 1980 Jun;20(2):303–312. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90616-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Ruppert C., Goldowitz D., Wille W. Proto-oncogene c-myc is expressed in cerebellar neurons at different developmental stages. EMBO J. 1986 Aug;5(8):1897–1901. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04442.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. 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]
  24. Schwab M., Ellison J., Busch M., Rosenau W., Varmus H. E., Bishop J. M. Enhanced expression of the human gene N-myc consequent to amplification of DNA may contribute to malignant progression of neuroblastoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Aug;81(15):4940–4944. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.15.4940. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. 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]
  26. 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]
  27. Small M. B., Hay N., Schwab M., Bishop J. M. Neoplastic transformation by the human gene N-myc. Mol Cell Biol. 1987 May;7(5):1638–1645. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.5.1638. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Stanton L. W., Schwab M., Bishop J. M. Nucleotide sequence of the human N-myc gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Mar;83(6):1772–1776. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.6.1772. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Stewart T. A., Bellvé A. R., Leder P. Transcription and promoter usage of the myc gene in normal somatic and spermatogenic cells. Science. 1984 Nov 9;226(4675):707–710. doi: 10.1126/science.6494906. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. 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]
  31. Young R. A., Hagenbüchle O., Schibler U. A single mouse alpha-amylase gene specifies two different tissue-specific mRNAs. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):451–458. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90140-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Zimmerman K. A., Yancopoulos G. D., Collum R. G., Smith R. K., Kohl N. E., Denis K. A., Nau M. M., Witte O. N., Toran-Allerand D., Gee C. E. Differential expression of myc family genes during murine development. 1986 Feb 27-Mar 5Nature. 319(6056):780–783. doi: 10.1038/319780a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Zinn K., DiMaio D., Maniatis T. Identification of two distinct regulatory regions adjacent to the human beta-interferon gene. Cell. 1983 Oct;34(3):865–879. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90544-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES