Induction of cell cycle progression by adenovirus E1A gene 13S- and 12S-mRNA products in quiescent rat cells.

Rat 3Y1 cell lines that express either adenovirus type 12 E1A 13S mRNA or 12S mRNA in response to dexamethasone treatment were established by introduction of recombinant vector DNA containing the E1A 13S- or 12S-mRNA cDNA placed downstream of the hormone-inducible promoter of mouse mammary tumor virus. These cell lines were growth arrested, and the induction of cell cycle progression was analyzed by flow cytometry after switch on of the cDNA by the addition of dexamethasone. The results indicate that the 13S- or 12S-mRNA product alone has the ability to cause progression of the cell cycle at a similar rate. The simultaneous addition of epidermal growth factor accelerated the rate of cell cycle progression in the transition from the G0/G1 phase to the S phase.     

Expression of adenovirus type 12 E1A gene in monkey cells, using a simian virus 40 vector.

Simian virus 40 (SV40) recombinants carrying the adenovirus type 12 E1A gene were constructed. The SV40 expression vector was constructed by removing most of the VP1 gene and an internal part of the intervening sequence for late 16S RNA and by joining the 5' and 3' splice sites into a small segment. The adenovirus type 12 E1A gene with or without its own promoter was inserted downstream from the SV40 late promoter and the splicing junctions. The recombinant DNA was propagated and packaged in monkey cells by cotransfection with an early temperature-sensitive mutant (tsA58) DNA as helper. Immunofluorescent staining of the monkey cells infected with the resulting virus stocks showed that up to 20% of the cells overproduced the E1A gene products in the nuclei. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of the products indicated that the products were very similar or identical to the authentic polypeptides synthesized in adenovirus type 12-infected human embryo kidney cells. The E1A mRNA was initiated at the SV40 late promoter irrespective of the presence of the E1A promoter and terminated at either the E1A or the SV40 polyadenylation signal. These hybrid mRNAs were correctly spliced in the E1A coding region.     

Highly efficient focus formation by Rous sarcoma virus on adenovirus type 12 E1A-transformed rat 3Y1 cells.

When rat 3Y1 cells were infected with Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) variant SR-RSV-D(H), many 3Y1 cells acquired a stable provirus but only few of them formed transformed foci. In contrast, 12E1AY cells (3Y1 cells expressing the adenovirus type 12 [Ad12] E1A protein) formed transformed foci upon RSV infection with the same high frequency as did chicken embryo fibroblast cells. This enhancement of focus-forming efficiency was specifically observed in 3Y1 cells expressing Ad12 E1A protein but was not observed in 3Y1 cells expressing simian virus 40 T, c-myc, p53, c-fos, or v-fos protein. This enhancement was not evident in 5E1AY cells (3Y1 cells expressing the Ad5 E1A protein). Judging from the experiment using Ad12-Ad5 hybird E1A DNAs, the N-terminal half of the Ad12 E1A protein was responsible for this enhancement. The promoter activity of the RSV long terminal repeat measured by pLTR-CAT did not correlate to the efficiency of focus formation by RSV in these 3Y1 cells. Moreover, RSV containing the neo gene instead of the src gene produced G418-resistant cells equally efficiently among 3Y1, E1AY, and chicken embryo fibroblast cells. These results suggest that the enhancement of focus formation by RSV is not due to the increased expression of the src gene by the E1A protein. src mRNA and src protein were lower in RSV-transformed E1AY (RSVE1AY) cells than in RSV-transformed 3Y1 (RSV3Y1) cells. The phosphotyrosine-containing proteins were also less abundant in RSVE1AY cells than in RSV3Y1 cells, suggesting that E1AY cells require a lower threshold dose of p60v-src for transformation than do 3Y1 cells. E1AY cells were found to be more sensitive to lysis by detergents. The results suggest that the enhancement is due to changes in membrane structures in E1AY cells.     

Transformation of rat cells by cyt mutants of adenovirus type 12 and mutants of adenovirus type 5.

Several mutants with much reduced oncogenicity (spontaneous mutants H12 cyt 52 and H12 cyt 70 and UV-induced mutants H12 cyt 61, H12 cyt 62, and H12 cyt 68) of the highly oncogenic adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) were studied for their ability to transform primary baby rat kidney cells. Four of the mutants showed much reduced capacity to transform cells in vitro, while H12 cyt 61 transformed cells as efficiently as the wild-type virus. Viral gene expression in several cell lines established from cultures infected by cyt mutants was studied, and it was found that viral sequences belonging to the left 16% of Ad12 were always transcribed. These results suggest that the function of the transformed state is not defective in the cyt mutants studied. Heterotypic complementation studies showed that the defect(s) in a cyt mutant can be corrected by an Ad7 function. Ad5 dl 313, with a deletion between 3.5 and 10.5 map units, transformed rat cells only at high multiplicity. These results suggest that the region E1B of adenoviruses may be required for efficient transformation of rat cells.     

Induction of GD3 ganglioside by adenovirus E1A gene 13S- and 12S-mRNA products in rat 3Y1 cells

The effect of the expression of the human adenovirus type 12 E1A gene on ganglioside composition of rat 3Y1 cells was investigated using cell lines established by introduction of recombinant vector DNA containing the E1A 13S- or 12S-mRNA cDNA placed downstream of the hormone-inducible promoter of mouse mammary tumor virus. Ganglioside GD3 was newly detected after switching on of either 13S- or 12S-mRNA cDNA by addition of dexamethasone. A kinetic study indicated that GD3 was expressed 8 h after addition of dexamethasone. Ganglioside GM2 was also accumulated by induction of 13S-mRNA of adenovirus E1A gene. The results indicated that 13S- or 12S-mRNA product alone has the ability to induce GD3 ganglioside in rat 3Y1 cells.     

Expression of adenovirus type 12 early region 1 in KB cells transformed by recombinants containing the gene.

The adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) early region 1 (E1) gene was introduced into KB cells by using a dominant selection vector, pSV2-gpt, and over 80 Gpt+ KB cell clones were established. Three types of recombinant DNAs (gAE1A, gARC, and gABA) were constructed. They contained the AccI-H, EcoRI-C, and BamHI-A fragments, respectively, of Ad12 DNA in pSV2-gpt. Five of 50 (10%) gABA-transformed cell clones, 12 of 18 (67%) gAE1A-transformed cell clones, and 10 of 18 (56%) gARC-transformed cell clones complemented the growth of Ad5 dl312 (deletion in E1A) and were designated as Gpt+ Ad+ cell clones. In these cell clones at their early passages, recombinant genome sequences were detected in cellular DNA and were expressed. T antigen g (the E1A gene product) was detected by immunofluorescence. The Gpt+ Ad+ cell clones supported the growth of Ad5 deletion mutants in parallel with the expression of Ad12 E1A or E1A plus E1B genes. After infection of Gpt+ Ad+ cell clones with Ad5 dl312, the early genes of dl312 were efficiently transcribed, indicating the expression of the pre-early function of the Ad12 E1A gene. Two clones each from gAE1A-,gARC-, and gABA-transformed cells were subcultured for a long period to determine the stability of the transfecting DNAs. Subculture in a nonselective medium resulted in cells which lost the transfecting DNAs. Subculture in a selective medium resulted in the selection of cells which maintained the gpt gene expression but lost the Ad12 gene expression. These results indicate that the transfecting DNA is present in an unstable state in KB cells.     

Alterations in cellular phenotype induced by the type 5 adenovirus E1A and the beta 1 protein kinase C genes in cloned rat embryo fibroblast cells.

The E1A gene of adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) induces morphological transformation and anchorage-independent growth in cloned rat embryo fibroblast (CREF) cells. In contrast, CREF cells transfected with a beta 1 protein kinase C (PKC) gene and expressing low-levels of beta 1 PKC display a CREF-like morphology and do not form colonies when grown in agar. The combination of Ad5 E1A and low-level beta 1 PKC expression in the same CREF cell line results in an enhanced ability to grow when suspended in agar. In Ad5 E1A and Ad5 E1A + low-level beta 1 PKC expressing CREF clones, the tumor promoting agent 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) further enhances anchorage-independence. In contrast, TPA does not induce CREF cells or transfected CREF cells expressing low-levels of beta 1 PKC to grow in agar. Low-level beta 1 PKC expression in transfected CREF cells is associated with a modest 1.2 to 1.6-fold increase in binding of [3H]-phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) and only a 2.3-fold increase in PKC enzymatic activity. In contrast, specific beta 1 PKC-retroviral vector transformed CREF clones (CREF-RV-PKC) display higher levels of PKC mRNA, PDBu binding and PKC enzymatic activity. A majority of CREF-RV-PKC clones exhibit a transformed morphology and grow more rapidly in monolayer culture, form macroscopic colonies in agar in the absence of TPA and in many independent clones TPA further enhances anchorage-independent growth. This effect is not directly related to the level of enhanced [3H]-PDBu binding. The present study indicates that the effect of beta 1 PKC on cellular phenotype in immortal rat embryo cells is complex and is affected by its mode of insertion into CREF cells, i.e. transfection versus retroviral insertion. In addition, the combination of a transfected Ad5 E1A and a beta 1 PKC gene in the same CREF clone results in an enhanced expression of the transformed phenotype in both the absence and presence of TPA.     

Control functions of adenovirus transformation region E1A gene products in rat and human cells.

Altered control of the rat cell cycle induced by adenovirus requires expression of transformation region E1A, but not of E1B, E2A, E2B, or late genes. We show here that neither E3 nor E4 is required, so the effect results directly from an E1A product. Mutants with defects in the 289-amino-acid (aa) E1A product had little or no effect on the rat cell cycle even at 1,000 IU per cell. A mutant (pm975) lacking the 243-aa E1A product altered cell cycle progression, but less efficiently than did wild-type virus. The 289-aa E1A protein is therefore essential for cell cycle effects; the 243-aa protein is also necessary for the full effect but cannot act alone. Mutants with altered 289-aa E1A proteins showed different extents of leak expression of viral early region E2A as the multiplicity was increased; each leaked more in human than in rat cells. dl312, with no E1A products, failed to produce E2A mRNA or protein at 1,000 IU per cell in rat cells but did so in some experiments in human cells. There appears to be a very strict dependence of viral early gene expression on E1A in rat cells, whereas dependence on E1A is more relaxed in HeLa cells, perhaps due to a cellular E1A-like function. Altered cell cycle control is more dependent on E1A function than is early viral gene expression.     

Chromosomal damage induced by human adenovirus type 12 requires expression of the E1B 55-kilodalton viral protein.

Infection of human embryonic kidney cells with adenovirus type 12 results in the induction of damage at specific (17q21-22, 1p36, 1q21, and 1q42-43) and random sites in the cellular chromosomes. A previous study by Durnam et al. (D. M. Durnam, P. P. Smith, J. C. Menninger, and J. K. McDougall, Cancer Cells 4:349-354, 1986) indicated that the expression of viral early region 1 (E1) is sufficient for the induction of damage at band 17q21-22. In the present report we used an adenovirus type 12-adenovirus type 5 recombinant with E1A hybrid sequences as well as viruses with mutations in the adenovirus type 12 E1B genes to map adenovirus type 12 E1 functions involved in the induction of genetic damage. Our results show that the expression of the E1A proteins is not sufficient for this effect. On the other hand, mutations within the E1B 55-kilodalton protein but not the E1B 19-kilodalton protein affect the ability of the virus to induce both specific and random chromosomal damage.     

Hyperproduction of adenovirus type 12 E1B gene product in monkey cells, using a simian virus 40 vector.

Simian virus 40 recombinant DNAs carrying the adenovirus type 12 E1B gene were constructed, propagated, and packaged in monkey cells. Monkey cells infected with the resulting virus stocks hyperproduced the E1B gene products in more than 80% of the cells as revealed by immunofluorescence. The products were distributed in both the nuclei and the cytoplasm, and a condensed form of fleck structure was observed in the cytoplasm. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the cell extracts and their immunoprecipitates detected the E1B-coded 19,000-molecular-weight protein but not the 50,000-molecular-weight protein. The 19,000-molecular-weight protein and the simian virus 40 VP1 protein were synthesized in nearly equal amounts.