Skip to main content
PMC home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1992 Apr;12(4):1578–1584. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.4.1578

Transcriptional down-regulation of N-myc expression during B-cell development.

R K Smith 1, K Zimmerman 1, G D Yancopoulos 1, A Ma 1, F W Alt 1
PMCID: PMC369600  PMID: 1549113

Abstract

We have used nuclear run-on and DNase I sensitivity analyses to study the activity of the N-myc genes in cell lines that represent different stages of B-cell development. Both transformed pre-B-cell lines and a nontransformed pre-B-cell clone transcribe the N- and c-myc genes at substantial levels; in the nontransformed clone, transcription of these genes is regulated by the pre-B-cell growth factor interleukin-7. In contrast, transformed cell lines that represent the more mature stages of the B-cell pathway and mitogen-stimulated normal splenic B lymphocytes express the c-myc gene but do not express the N-myc gene at detectable levels. Down-regulation of N-myc expression in these cells occurs at the level of transcriptional initiation. Correspondingly, a set of DNase I-hypersensitive sites present in the 5' region of the N-myc promoter of pre-B-cell lines are absent in B-cell lines. To further elucidate this process, we have constructed fusion cell lines between an N-myc-expressing pre-B-cell line and a nonexpressing myeloma line; the hybrid cell lines transcriptionally down-regulate the pre-B copies of the N-myc gene. Lack of N-myc expression in a number of nonlymphoid cell lines also resulted from lack of N-myc transcription. Together, our findings demonstrate that the down-regulation of N-myc expression in the later stages of B-cell development is mediated primarily at the level of transcriptional initiation. They further show that dominant, trans-acting factors present in more mature B-lineage cell lines act to down-regulate the transcription of N-myc.

Full text

PDF
1583

Images in this article

1580Image
on p.1580
1580Image
on p.1580
1581Image
on p.1581
1582Image
on p.1582
1582Image
on p.1582

Selected References

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

  1. Andersson J., Sjöberg O., Möller G. Induction of immunoglobulin and antibody synthesis in vitro by lipopolysaccharides. Eur J Immunol. 1972 Aug;2(4):349–353. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830020410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Babiss L. E., Friedman J. M. Regulation of N-myc gene expression: use of an adenovirus vector to demonstrate posttranscriptional control. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Dec;10(12):6700–6708. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.12.6700. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bender T. P., Kuehl W. M. Differential expression of the c-myb proto-oncogene marks the pre-B cell/B cell junction in murine B lymphoid tumors. J Immunol. 1987 Dec 1;139(11):3822–3827. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bender T. P., Thompson C. B., Kuehl W. M. Differential expression of c-myb mRNA in murine B lymphomas by a block to transcription elongation. Science. 1987 Sep 18;237(4821):1473–1476. doi: 10.1126/science.3498214. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bentley D. L., Groudine M. A block to elongation is largely responsible for decreased transcription of c-myc in differentiated HL60 cells. Nature. 1986 Jun 12;321(6071):702–706. doi: 10.1038/321702a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Blackwell T. K., Alt F. W. Site-specific recombination between immunoglobulin D and JH segments that were introduced into the genome of a murine pre-B cell line. Cell. 1984 May;37(1):105–112. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90305-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Briggs M. R., Kadonaga J. T., Bell S. P., Tjian R. Purification and biochemical characterization of the promoter-specific transcription factor, Sp1. Science. 1986 Oct 3;234(4772):47–52. doi: 10.1126/science.3529394. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Campbell G. R., Zimmerman K., Blank R. D., Alt F. W., D'Eustachio P. Chromosomal location of N-myc and L-myc genes in the mouse. Oncogene Res. 1989;4(1):47–54. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cole M. D. The myc oncogene: its role in transformation and differentiation. Annu Rev Genet. 1986;20:361–384. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.20.120186.002045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Collum R. G., Alt F. W. Are myc proteins transcription factors? Cancer Cells. 1990 Mar;2(3):69–75. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. 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]
  12. Downs K. M., Martin G. R., Bishop J. M. Contrasting patterns of myc and N-myc expression during gastrulation of the mouse embryo. Genes Dev. 1989 Jun;3(6):860–869. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.6.860. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fahrlander P. D., Piechaczyk M., Marcu K. B. Chromatin structure of the murine c-myc locus: implications for the regulation of normal and chromosomally translocated genes. EMBO J. 1985 Dec 1;4(12):3195–3202. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb04065.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Fort P., Marty L., Piechaczyk M., el Sabrouty S., Dani C., Jeanteur P., Blanchard J. M. Various rat adult tissues express only one major mRNA species from the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase multigenic family. Nucleic Acids Res. 1985 Mar 11;13(5):1431–1442. doi: 10.1093/nar/13.5.1431. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Gefter M. L., Margulies D. H., Scharff M. D. A simple method for polyethylene glycol-promoted hybridization of mouse myeloma cells. Somatic Cell Genet. 1977 Mar;3(2):231–236. doi: 10.1007/BF01551818. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Gross D. S., Garrard W. T. Nuclease hypersensitive sites in chromatin. Annu Rev Biochem. 1988;57:159–197. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.57.070188.001111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Grosveld F., van Assendelft G. B., Greaves D. R., Kollias G. Position-independent, high-level expression of the human beta-globin gene in transgenic mice. Cell. 1987 Dec 24;51(6):975–985. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90584-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Higgs D. R., Wood W. G., Jarman A. P., Sharpe J., Lida J., Pretorius I. M., Ayyub H. A major positive regulatory region located far upstream of the human alpha-globin gene locus. Genes Dev. 1990 Sep;4(9):1588–1601. doi: 10.1101/gad.4.9.1588. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hunt P., Robertson D., Weiss D., Rennick D., Lee F., Witte O. N. A single bone marrow-derived stromal cell type supports the in vitro growth of early lymphoid and myeloid cells. Cell. 1987 Mar 27;48(6):997–1007. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90708-2. [DOI] [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., 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]
  22. 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]
  23. Kovesdi I., Reichel R., Nevins J. R. Identification of a cellular transcription factor involved in E1A trans-activation. Cell. 1986 Apr 25;45(2):219–228. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90386-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Krystal G., Birrer M., Way J., Nau M., Sausville E., Thompson C., Minna J., Battey J. Multiple mechanisms for transcriptional regulation of the myc gene family in small-cell lung cancer. Mol Cell Biol. 1988 Aug;8(8):3373–3381. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.8.3373. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Legouy E., DePinho R., Zimmerman K., Collum R., Yancopoulos G., Mitsock L., Kriz R., Alt F. W. Structure and expression of the murine L-myc gene. EMBO J. 1987 Nov;6(11):3359–3366. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02657.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Linial M., Gunderson N., Groudine M. Enhanced transcription of c-myc in bursal lymphoma cells requires continuous protein synthesis. Science. 1985 Dec 6;230(4730):1126–1132. doi: 10.1126/science.2999973. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Lutzker S., Rothman P., Pollock R., Coffman R., Alt F. W. Mitogen- and IL-4-regulated expression of germ-line Ig gamma 2b transcripts: evidence for directed heavy chain class switching. Cell. 1988 Apr 22;53(2):177–184. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90379-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Lüscher B., Eisenman R. N. New light on Myc and Myb. Part I. Myc. Genes Dev. 1990 Dec;4(12A):2025–2035. doi: 10.1101/gad.4.12a.2025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Mather E. L., Alt F. W., Bothwell A. L., Baltimore D., Koshland M. E. Expression of J chain RNA in cell lines representing different stages of B lymphocyte differentiation. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):369–378. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90132-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Miller H., Asselin C., Dufort D., Yang J. Q., Gupta K., Marcu K. B., Nepveu A. A cis-acting element in the promoter region of the murine c-myc gene is necessary for transcriptional block. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Dec;9(12):5340–5349. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.12.5340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Morrow M. A., Lee G., Gillis S., Yancopoulos G. D., Alt F. W. Interleukin-7 induces N-myc and c-myc expression in normal precursor B lymphocytes. Genes Dev. 1992 Jan;6(1):61–70. doi: 10.1101/gad.6.1.61. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Mugrauer G., Alt F. W., Ekblom P. N-myc proto-oncogene expression during organogenesis in the developing mouse as revealed by in situ hybridization. J Cell Biol. 1988 Oct;107(4):1325–1335. doi: 10.1083/jcb.107.4.1325. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Nepveu A., Marcu K. B. Intragenic pausing and anti-sense transcription within the murine c-myc locus. EMBO J. 1986 Nov;5(11):2859–2865. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04580.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Peavy D. L., Adler W. H., Smith R. T. The mitogenic effects of endotoxin and staphylococcal enterotoxin B on mouse spleen cells and human peripheral lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1970 Dec;105(6):1453–1458. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Sakaguchi N., Berger C. N., Melchers F. Isolation of a cDNA copy of an RNA species expressed in murine pre-B cells. EMBO J. 1986 Sep;5(9):2139–2147. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04477.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Stanton L. W., Fahrlander P. D., Tesser P. M., Marcu K. B. Nucleotide sequence comparison of normal and translocated murine c-myc genes. Nature. 1984 Aug 2;310(5976):423–425. doi: 10.1038/310423a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Whitlock C. A., Tidmarsh G. F., Muller-Sieburg C., Weissman I. L. Bone marrow stromal cell lines with lymphopoietic activity express high levels of a pre-B neoplasia-associated molecule. Cell. 1987 Mar 27;48(6):1009–1021. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90709-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Whitlock C. A., Ziegler S. F., Treiman L. J., Stafford J. I., Witte O. N. Differentiation of cloned populations of immature B cells after transformation with Abelson murine leukemia virus. Cell. 1983 Mar;32(3):903–911. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90075-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Yancopoulos G. D., Blackwell T. K., Suh H., Hood L., Alt F. W. Introduced T cell receptor variable region gene segments recombine in pre-B cells: evidence that B and T cells use a common recombinase. Cell. 1986 Jan 31;44(2):251–259. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90759-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Yancopoulos G. D., Oltz E. M., Rathbun G., Berman J. E., Smith R. K., Lansford R. D., Rothman P., Okada A., Lee G., Morrow M. Isolation of coordinately regulated genes that are expressed in discrete stages of B-cell development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Aug;87(15):5759–5763. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.15.5759. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. 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]
  42. Zimmerman K., Alt F. W. Expression and function of myc family genes. Crit Rev Oncog. 1990;2(1):75–95. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Zimmerman K., Legouy E., Stewart V., Depinho R., Alt F. W. Differential regulation of the N-myc gene in transfected cells and transgenic mice. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 May;10(5):2096–2103. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.5.2096. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES