Skip to main content
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1994 Dec 15;13(24):5994–6005. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06945.x

Mouse A-myb encodes a trans-activator and is expressed in mitotically active cells of the developing central nervous system, adult testis and B lymphocytes.

K Trauth 1, B Mutschler 1, N A Jenkins 1, D J Gilbert 1, N G Copeland 1, K H Klempnauer 1
PMCID: PMC395575  PMID: 7813437

Abstract

C-myb encodes a transcriptional activator that is essential for the development of the hematopoietic system but appears to lack major roles in non-hematopoietic cells. The identification of two conserved myb-related genes, designated A-myb and B-myb, has raised the possibility that these genes are functional equivalents of c-myb in non-hematopoietic cells. Here, we report the isolation and preliminary characterization of the mouse A-myb gene. Mouse A-myb maps to the proximal region of chromosome 1 and encodes a transcriptional activator with properties similar to those of the c-myb and v-myb proteins. During embryo-genesis A-myb is predominantly expressed in several regions of the developing central nervous system (CNS) and the urogenital ridge. Expression in the CNS is confined to the neural tube, the hindbrain, the neural retina and the olfactory epithelium, and coincides with the presence of proliferating immature neuronal precursor cells. In the adult mouse, A-myb is expressed during the early stages of sperm cell differentiation and in B lymphocytes located in germinal centers of the spleen. Taken together, these results suggest a role for A-myb in the proliferation and/or differentiation of neurogenic, spermatogenic and B-lymphoid cells.

Full text

PDF
5994

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Bard J. B., Ross A. S. The morphogenesis of the ciliary body of the avian eye. I. Lateral cell detachment facilitates epithelial folding. Dev Biol. 1982 Jul;92(1):73–86. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(82)90152-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bard J. B., Ross A. S. The morphogenesis of the ciliary body of the avian eye. II. Differential enlargement causes an epithelium to form radial folds. Dev Biol. 1982 Jul;92(1):87–96. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(82)90153-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barletta C., Druck T., LaForgia S., Calabretta B., Drabkin H., Patterson D., Croce C. M., Huebner K. Chromosome locations of the MYB related genes, AMYB and BMYB. Cancer Res. 1991 Jul 15;51(14):3821–3824. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Biedenkapp H., Borgmeyer U., Sippel A. E., Klempnauer K. H. Viral myb oncogene encodes a sequence-specific DNA-binding activity. Nature. 1988 Oct 27;335(6193):835–837. doi: 10.1038/335835a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bouwmeester T., Güehmann S., el-Baradi T., Kalkbrenner F., van Wijk I., Moelling K., Pieler T. Molecular cloning, expression and in vitro functional characterization of Myb-related proteins in Xenopus. Mech Dev. 1992 Mar;37(1-2):57–68. doi: 10.1016/0925-4773(92)90015-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Burk O., Klempnauer K. H. Estrogen-dependent alterations in differentiation state of myeloid cells caused by a v-myb/estrogen receptor fusion protein. EMBO J. 1991 Dec;10(12):3713–3719. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb04939.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Burk O., Mink S., Ringwald M., Klempnauer K. H. Synergistic activation of the chicken mim-1 gene by v-myb and C/EBP transcription factors. EMBO J. 1993 May;12(5):2027–2038. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05852.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cao Z., Umek R. M., McKnight S. L. Regulated expression of three C/EBP isoforms during adipose conversion of 3T3-L1 cells. Genes Dev. 1991 Sep;5(9):1538–1552. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.9.1538. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Clarke M. F., Kukowska-Latallo J. F., Westin E., Smith M., Prochownik E. V. Constitutive expression of a c-myb cDNA blocks Friend murine erythroleukemia cell differentiation. Mol Cell Biol. 1988 Feb;8(2):884–892. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.2.884. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Copeland N. G., Gilbert D. J., Li K., Sawamura D., Giudice G. J., Chu M. L., Jenkins N. A., Uitto J. Chromosomal localization of mouse bullous pemphigoid antigens. BPAG1 and BPAG2: identification of a new region of homology between mouse and human chromosomes. Genomics. 1993 Jan;15(1):180–181. doi: 10.1006/geno.1993.1027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Copeland N. G., Jenkins N. A. Development and applications of a molecular genetic linkage map of the mouse genome. Trends Genet. 1991 Apr;7(4):113–118. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(91)90455-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Copeland N. G., Jenkins N. A., Gilbert D. J., Eppig J. T., Maltais L. J., Miller J. C., Dietrich W. F., Weaver A., Lincoln S. E., Steen R. G. A genetic linkage map of the mouse: current applications and future prospects. Science. 1993 Oct 1;262(5130):57–66. doi: 10.1126/science.8211130. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Cuschieri A., Bannister L. H. The development of the olfactory mucosa in the mouse: electron microscopy. J Anat. 1975 Jul;119(Pt 3):471–498. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Foos G., Grimm S., Klempnauer K. H. Functional antagonism between members of the myb family: B-myb inhibits v-myb-induced gene activation. EMBO J. 1992 Dec;11(12):4619–4629. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05564.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Frampton J., Gibson T. J., Ness S. A., Döderlein G., Graf T. Proposed structure for the DNA-binding domain of the Myb oncoprotein based on model building and mutational analysis. Protein Eng. 1991 Dec;4(8):891–901. doi: 10.1093/protein/4.8.891. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Friedman A. D., Landschulz W. H., McKnight S. L. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein activates the promoter of the serum albumin gene in cultured hepatoma cells. Genes Dev. 1989 Sep;3(9):1314–1322. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.9.1314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Garcia A., LaMontagne K., Reavis D., Stober-Grässer U., Lipsick J. S. Determinants of sequence-specific DNA-binding by p48v-myb. Oncogene. 1991 Feb;6(2):265–273. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Gerondakis S., Bishop J. M. Structure of the protein encoded by the chicken proto-oncogene c-myb. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Nov;6(11):3677–3684. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.11.3677. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Gewirtz A. M., Calabretta B. A c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotide inhibits normal human hematopoiesis in vitro. Science. 1988 Dec 2;242(4883):1303–1306. doi: 10.1126/science.2461588. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Ginsburg M., Snow M. H., McLaren A. Primordial germ cells in the mouse embryo during gastrulation. Development. 1990 Oct;110(2):521–528. doi: 10.1242/dev.110.2.521. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Golay J., Capucci A., Arsura M., Castellano M., Rizzo V., Introna M. Expression of c-myb and B-myb, but not A-myb, correlates with proliferation in human hematopoietic cells. Blood. 1991 Jan 1;77(1):149–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Gonda T. J., Gough N. M., Dunn A. R., de Blaquiere J. Nucleotide sequence of cDNA clones of the murine myb proto-oncogene. EMBO J. 1985 Aug;4(8):2003–2008. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03884.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Graf T. Myb: a transcriptional activator linking proliferation and differentiation in hematopoietic cells. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 1992 Apr;2(2):249–255. doi: 10.1016/s0959-437x(05)80281-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Graham F. L., van der Eb A. J. A new technique for the assay of infectivity of human adenovirus 5 DNA. Virology. 1973 Apr;52(2):456–467. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(73)90341-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Hinds J. W., Hinds P. L. Early development of amacrine cells in the mouse retina: an electron microscopic, serial section analysis. J Comp Neurol. 1978 May 15;179(2):277–300. doi: 10.1002/cne.901790204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Hinds J. W., Hinds P. L. Early ganglion cell differentiation in the mouse retina: an electron microscopic analysis utilizing serial sections. Dev Biol. 1974 Apr;37(2):381–416. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(74)90156-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Howe K. M., Reakes C. F., Watson R. J. Characterization of the sequence-specific interaction of mouse c-myb protein with DNA. EMBO J. 1990 Jan;9(1):161–169. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08092.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Ibanez C. E., Lipsick J. S. trans activation of gene expression by v-myb. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 May;10(5):2285–2293. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.5.2285. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Jenkins N. A., Copeland N. G., Taylor B. A., Lee B. K. Organization, distribution, and stability of endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia virus DNA sequences in chromosomes of Mus musculus. J Virol. 1982 Jul;43(1):26–36. doi: 10.1128/jvi.43.1.26-36.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Katzen A. L., Kornberg T. B., Bishop J. M. Isolation of the proto-oncogene c-myb from D. melanogaster. Cell. 1985 Jun;41(2):449–456. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(85)80018-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Kessel M., Gruss P. Homeotic transformations of murine vertebrae and concomitant alteration of Hox codes induced by retinoic acid. Cell. 1991 Oct 4;67(1):89–104. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90574-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Kim K. J., Kanellopoulos-Langevin C., Merwin R. M., Sachs D. H., Asofsky R. Establishment and characterization of BALB/c lymphoma lines with B cell properties. J Immunol. 1979 Feb;122(2):549–554. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Klein S. L., Graziadei P. P. The differentiation of the olfactory placode in Xenopus laevis: a light and electron microscope study. J Comp Neurol. 1983 Jun 10;217(1):17–30. doi: 10.1002/cne.902170103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Klempnauer K. H., Arnold H., Biedenkapp H. Activation of transcription by v-myb: evidence for two different mechanisms. Genes Dev. 1989 Oct;3(10):1582–1589. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.10.1582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Klempnauer K. H., Sippel A. E. Subnuclear localization of proteins encoded by the oncogene v-myb and its cellular homolog c-myb. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Jan;6(1):62–69. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.1.62. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Klempnauer K. H., Sippel A. E. The highly conserved amino-terminal region of the protein encoded by the v-myb oncogene functions as a DNA-binding domain. EMBO J. 1987 Sep;6(9):2719–2725. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02565.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Lam E. W., Robinson C., Watson R. J. Characterization and cell cycle-regulated expression of mouse B-myb. Oncogene. 1992 Sep;7(9):1885–1890. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Liu Y. J., Johnson G. D., Gordon J., MacLennan I. C. Germinal centres in T-cell-dependent antibody responses. Immunol Today. 1992 Jan;13(1):17–21. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(92)90199-H. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Monaghan A. P., Davidson D. R., Sime C., Graham E., Baldock R., Bhattacharya S. S., Hill R. E. The Msh-like homeobox genes define domains in the developing vertebrate eye. Development. 1991 Aug;112(4):1053–1061. doi: 10.1242/dev.112.4.1053. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Moscovici C., Moscovici M. G., Jimenez H., Lai M. M., Hayman M. J., Vogt P. K. Continuous tissue culture cell lines derived from chemically induced tumors of Japanese quail. Cell. 1977 May;11(1):95–103. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90320-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Mucenski M. L., McLain K., Kier A. B., Swerdlow S. H., Schreiner C. M., Miller T. A., Pietryga D. W., Scott W. J., Jr, Potter S. S. A functional c-myb gene is required for normal murine fetal hepatic hematopoiesis. Cell. 1991 May 17;65(4):677–689. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90099-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Ness S. A., Kowenz-Leutz E., Casini T., Graf T., Leutz A. Myb and NF-M: combinatorial activators of myeloid genes in heterologous cell types. Genes Dev. 1993 May;7(5):749–759. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.5.749. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Ness S. A., Marknell A., Graf T. The v-myb oncogene product binds to and activates the promyelocyte-specific mim-1 gene. Cell. 1989 Dec 22;59(6):1115–1125. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90767-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Nishina Y., Nakagoshi H., Imamoto F., Gonda T. J., Ishii S. Trans-activation by the c-myb proto-oncogene. Nucleic Acids Res. 1989 Jan 11;17(1):107–117. doi: 10.1093/nar/17.1.107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Nomura N., Takahashi M., Matsui M., Ishii S., Date T., Sasamoto S., Ishizaki R. Isolation of human cDNA clones of myb-related genes, A-myb and B-myb. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Dec 9;16(23):11075–11089. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.23.11075. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Nordeen S. K. Luciferase reporter gene vectors for analysis of promoters and enhancers. Biotechniques. 1988 May;6(5):454–458. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Oehler T., Arnold H., Biedenkapp H., Klempnauer K. H. Characterization of the v-myb DNA binding domain. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990 Apr 11;18(7):1703–1710. doi: 10.1093/nar/18.7.1703. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Oppenheimer D. G., Herman P. L., Sivakumaran S., Esch J., Marks M. D. A myb gene required for leaf trichome differentiation in Arabidopsis is expressed in stipules. Cell. 1991 Nov 1;67(3):483–493. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90523-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Paz-Ares J., Ghosal D., Wienand U., Peterson P. A., Saedler H. The regulatory c1 locus of Zea mays encodes a protein with homology to myb proto-oncogene products and with structural similarities to transcriptional activators. EMBO J. 1987 Dec 1;6(12):3553–3558. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02684.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Peters C. W., Sippel A. E., Vingron M., Klempnauer K. H. Drosophila and vertebrate myb proteins share two conserved regions, one of which functions as a DNA-binding domain. EMBO J. 1987 Oct;6(10):3085–3090. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02616.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Rosson D., Dugan D., Reddy E. P. Aberrant splicing events that are induced by proviral integration: implications for myb oncogene activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 May;84(10):3171–3175. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.10.3171. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Sakura H., Kanei-Ishii C., Nagase T., Nakagoshi H., Gonda T. J., Ishii S. Delineation of three functional domains of the transcriptional activator encoded by the c-myb protooncogene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Aug;86(15):5758–5762. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.15.5758. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Schuur E. R., Dasgupta P., Reddy E. P., Rabinovich J. M., Baluda M. A. Alternative splicing of the chicken c-myb exon 9A. Oncogene. 1993 Jul;8(7):1839–1847. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  54. Selvakumaran M., Liebermann D. A., Hoffman-Liebermann B. Deregulated c-myb disrupts interleukin-6- or leukemia inhibitory factor-induced myeloid differentiation prior to c-myc: role in leukemogenesis. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Jun;12(6):2493–2500. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.6.2493. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  55. Shen-Ong G. L., Lüscher B., Eisenman R. N. A second c-myb protein is translated from an alternatively spliced mRNA expressed from normal and 5'-disrupted myb loci. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Dec;9(12):5456–5463. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.12.5456. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  56. Shen-Ong G. L. The myb oncogene. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1990 Jun 1;1032(1):39–52. doi: 10.1016/0304-419x(90)90011-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  57. Siu G., Wurster A. L., Lipsick J. S., Hedrick S. M. Expression of the CD4 gene requires a Myb transcription factor. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Apr;12(4):1592–1604. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.4.1592. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  58. Sleeman J. P. Xenopus A-myb is expressed during early spermatogenesis. Oncogene. 1993 Jul;8(7):1931–1941. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  59. Stober-Grässer U., Brydolf B., Bin X., Grässer F., Firtel R. A., Lipsick J. S. The Myb DNA-binding domain is highly conserved in Dictyostelium discoideum. Oncogene. 1992 Mar;7(3):589–596. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  60. Tice-Baldwin K., Fink G. R., Arndt K. T. BAS1 has a Myb motif and activates HIS4 transcription only in combination with BAS2. Science. 1989 Nov 17;246(4932):931–935. doi: 10.1126/science.2683089. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  61. Weston K., Bishop J. M. Transcriptional activation by the v-myb oncogene and its cellular progenitor, c-myb. Cell. 1989 Jul 14;58(1):85–93. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90405-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES