The int-2 gene product acts as an epithelial growth factor in transgenic mice. |
| |
| Authors: | W J Muller F S Lee C Dickson G Peters P Pattengale and P Leder |
| |
| Affiliation: | Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115. |
| |
| Abstract: | The induction of mammary tumors by mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is thought to occur through proviral activation of one or more cellular genes. One of these, int-2, encodes a 27 kd protein which exhibits striking homology to the basic fibroblast growth factor family. To assess directly the role of the int-2 protein in cell proliferation, we have established transgenic mice which carry the int-2 gene driven by the MMTV promoter/enhancer. Expression of the int-2 gene in female transgenic mice results in pronounced mammary gland hyperplasia. Interestingly, expression of the MMTV-int-2 transgene in the prostate gland of male carriers results in a benign, but dramatic, epithelial hyperplasia similar to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), a common but poorly understood disorder in human populations. Together, these results indicate that the int-2 product can act as a potent growth factor in these epithelial tissues. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
