Relationships between the cell cycle and the expression of c-myc and transferrin receptor genes during induced myeloid differentiation

We examined the relationship of cellular oncogene c-myc and transferrin receptor (TfR) gene expression to cell proliferation and cell cycle progression during myeloid differentiation in the HL-60 myeloid leukemia cell line. In order to determine levels of mRNA for these genes in HL-60 cells induced to differentiate along the myeloid pathway, RNA was isolated from HL-60 cells incubated with retinoic acid for 24 h and Northern blots were probed with labeled cDNAs for c-myc and TfR. c-myc mRNA decreased within 3 h of retinoic acid addition, and TfR mRNA decreased after 9 h; both mRNAs continued to decrease over 24 h. RNA was also isolated from HL-60 cells separated by centrifugal elutriation into cell cycle phases. TfR and c-myc cDNA probes hybridized equally to RNA from uninduced cells in all phases of the cell cycle. However, after 24 h incubation with the differentiation inducer retinoic acid, TfR mRNA was expressed substantially less in the G1 stage, whereas c-myc mRNA was still expressed equally in all cell cycle phases. These data indicate that, although TfR and c-myc expression are both associated with cell proliferation in the HL-60 line, TfR is down-regulated specifically in G1 upon induction of terminal differentiation whereas c-myc expression is disassociated from cell cycle control in these cells.     

Cell cycle dependent growth factor regulation of gene expression

The expression of the proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-myc is a rapid response of G0-arrested fibroblasts to serum and peptide growth factors; however, the role of the c-fos and c-myc gene products in subsequent cell cycle transit is not understood. We examined the expression of c-fos and c-myc mRNA in Balb/c 3T3 murine fibroblasts in response to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and platelet-poor plasma, using arrest points associated with density dependent growth inhibition or metabolic inhibition to synchronize cells in S phase of the cell cycle. The expression of c-fos and c-myc mRNA in Balb/c 3T3 cells was differentially regulated with respect to growth factor dependence and cell cycle dependence. c-fos expression was induced in the presence of PDGF and was unaffected by plasma. The induction of c-fos expression in response to PDGF was cell cycle independent, occurring in cells transiting S phase and G2 as well as in G0 arrest. In contrast, c-myc expression was both growth factor and cell cycle dependent. In G0 arrested cells, c-myc expression was PDGF-dependent and plasma-independent, and PDGF was required for maintenance of elevated c-myc levels during G1 transit. In cells transiting S phase, c-myc mRNA was induced in response to PDGF, but was also plasma-dependent in S phase cells that had been "primed" by exposure to PDGF during S phase.     

Cycloheximide induces expression of the human interferon beta 1 gene in mouse cells transformed by bovine papillomavirus-interferon beta 1 recombinants.

Mouse cells transformed by a bovine papillomavirus recombinant vector containing the human interferon (IFN) beta 1 (IFN-beta 1) gene could be induced to produce human as well as mouse IFNs. The optimal conditions for induction of human IFN and of its mRNA in these transformants resembled those needed for mouse IFN: high concentrations of DEAE-dextran and low concentrations of polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid. Superinduction by inhibitors of protein synthesis which strongly stimulate IFN-beta 1 induction in human cells had only a small effect on human IFN induction in bovine papillomavirus IFN-beta 1-transformed mouse cells. In contrast, cycloheximide without double-stranded RNA could induce significant levels of human IFN in the bovine papillomavirus IFN-beta 1 mouse transformants. After cycloheximide treatment, these cells contained IFN-beta 1 mRNA whose 5' ends originated in the authentic start site of the human IFN-beta 1 gene, as shown by S1 nuclease mapping. The transferred human gene, propagated extrachromosomally in the mouse cells, was, therefore, inducible under conditions different from those in human cells. The results also confirmed that the inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, can induce expression of a human IFN gene.     

Interleukin-6- and leukemia inhibitory factor-induced terminal differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells is blocked at an intermediate stage by constitutive c-myc.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), two multifunctional cytokines, recently have been identified as physiological inducers of hematopoietic cell differentiation which also induce terminal differentiation and growth arrest of the myeloblastic leukemic M1 cell line. In this work, it is shown that c-myc exhibited a unique pattern of expression upon induction of M1 terminal differentiation by LIF or IL-6, with an early transient increase followed by a decrease to control levels by 12 h and no detectable c-myc mRNA by 1 day; in contrast, c-myb expression was rapidly suppressed, with no detectable c-myb mRNA by 12 h. Vectors containing the c-myc gene under control of the beta-actin gene promoter were transfected into M1 cells to obtain M1myc cell lines which constitutively synthesized c-myc. Deregulated and continued expression of c-myc blocked terminal differentiation induced by IL-6 or LIF at an intermediate stage in the progression from immature blasts to mature macrophages, precisely at the point in time when c-myc is normally suppressed, leading to intermediate-stage myeloid cells which continued to proliferate in the absence of c-myb expression.     

Regulation of c-myc mRNA decay in vitro by a phorbol ester-inducible, ribosome-associated component in differentiating megakaryoblasts

The K562 leukemia cell line is bipotential for erythroid and megakaryoblastic differentiation. The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) activates a genetic program of gene expression in these cells leading to their differentiation into megakaryoblasts, a platelet precursor. Thus, K562 cells offer a means to examine early changes in gene expression necessary for megakaryoblastic commitment and differentiation. An essential requirement for differentiation of many hematopoietic cell types is the down-regulation of c-myc expression, because its constitutive expression blocks differentiation. TPA-induced differentiation of K562 cells causes rapid down-regulation of c-myc expression, due in part to an mRNA decay rate that is 4-fold faster compared with dividing cells. A cell-free mRNA decay system reconstitutes TPA-induced destabilization of c-myc mRNA, but it requires at least two components for reconstitution. One component fractionates to the post-ribosomal supernatant from either untreated or treated cells. This component is sensitive to cycloheximide and micrococcal nuclease. The other component is polysome-associated and is induced or activated by TPA. Although in dividing cells c-myc mRNA decays via a sequential pathway involving removal of the poly(A) tract followed by degradation of the mRNA body, TPA activates a deadenylation-independent pathway. The cell-free mRNA decay system reconstitutes this alternate decay pathway as well.     

Flow cytometric correlation of the c-myc oncoprotein and cell cycle kinetics of HL60 leukaemia during induced maturation with cytosine arabinoside and dimethylsulphoxide

The c-myc oncogene codes for a DNA binding protein that functions in a cell cycle-related manner. A useful model for studying the relationship of c-myc expression with cell cycle kinetics is the HL60 cell line. HL60 cells constitutively express high levels of c-myc mRNA; however, the level can be down-regulated as the cells are induced to differentiate. We have developed a flow cytometric assay for correlating c-myc oncoprotein levels with DNA content. C-myc oncoprotein levels were additionally correlated with c-myc mRNA levels as determined by slot blot hybridization. Dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) and cytosine arabinoside were used to induce granulocytic and monocytic maturation respectively. Treatment of HL60 cells with DMSO leads to an increase in the per cent of cells in G1/G0 and a decrease in mean c-myc mRNA and oncoprotein levels. The cells with G1 DNA content show the greatest decrease in c-myc protein. ARA-c treatment of HL60 cells leads to a slowing and an accumulation of cells in S phase with a moderate decrease in mean mRNA and only a slight decrease in mean c-myc protein levels. These data support the hypothesis that c-myc is involved in the switch from G1 to G0.     

Inhibition of transcription of the beta interferon gene by the human herpesvirus 6 immediate-early 1 protein

Human herpesviruses (HHV) are stealth pathogens possessing several decoy or immune system evasion mechanisms favoring their persistence within the infected host. Of these viruses, HHV-6 is among the most successful human parasites, establishing lifelong infections in nearly 100% of individuals around the world. To better understand this host-pathogen relationship, we determined whether HHV-6 could interfere with the development of the innate antiviral response by affecting interferon (IFN) biosynthesis. Using inducible cell lines and transient transfection assays, we have identified the immediate-early 1 (IE1) protein as a potent inhibitor of IFN-beta gene expression. IE1 proteins from both HHV-6 variants were capable of suppressing IFN-beta gene induction. IE1 prevents IFN-beta gene expression triggered by Sendai virus infection, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and dsDNA transfection, or the ectopic expression of IFN-beta gene activators such as retinoic inducible gene I protein, mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein, TBK-1, IkappaB kinase epsilon (IKKepsilon), and IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). While the stability of IFN-beta mRNA is not affected, IE1-expressing cells have reduced levels of dimerized IRF3 and nucleus-translocated IRF3 in response to activation by TBK-1 or IKKepsilon. Using nuclear extracts and gel shift experiments, we could demonstrate that in the presence of IE1, IRF3 does not bind efficiently to the IFN-beta promoter sequence. Overall, these results indicate that the IE1 protein of HHV-6, one of the first viral proteins synthesized upon viral entry, is a potent suppressor of IFN-beta gene induction and likely contributes to favor the establishment of and successful infection of cells with this virus.     

Recombinant interleukin 2 regulates levels of c-myc mRNA in a cloned murine T lymphocyte.

The cellular oncogene c-myc has been implicated in the regulation of growth of normal and neoplastic cells. Recently, it was suggested that c-myc gene expression may control the G0----G1-phase transition in normal lymphocytes that were stimulated to enter the cell cycle by the lectin concanavalin A (ConA). Here we describe the effects of purified recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2) and of ConA on levels of c-myc mRNA in the noncytolytic murine T-cell clone L2. In contrast to resting (G0) primary cultures of lymphocytes, quiescent L2 cells have a higher RNA content than resting splenocytes and express receptors for interleukin 2 (IL2). Resting L2 cells are therefore best regarded as early G1-phase cells. Purified rIL2 was found to stimulate the rapid accumulation of c-myc mRNA in L2 cells. Levels of c-myc mRNA became maximal within 1 h and declined gradually thereafter. In contrast, ConA induced slower accumulation of c-myc mRNA in L2 cells, with increased levels of c-myc mRNA becoming detectable 4 to 8 h after stimulation. Experiments with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide demonstrated that the increase in levels of c-myc mRNA that were induced by ConA was a direct effect of this lectin and not secondary to IL2 production. Cyclosporin A, an immunosuppressive agent, markedly reduced the accumulation of c-myc mRNA that was induced by ConA but only slightly diminished the accumulation of c-myc mRNA that was induced by rIL2. Taken together, these data provide evidence that (i) c-myc gene expression can be regulated by at least two distinct pathways in T lymphocytes, only one of which is sensitive to cyclosporine A, and (ii) the accumulation of c-myc mRNA can be induced in T cells by IL2 during the G1 phase of the cell cycle.