Deregulated c-myb disrupts interleukin-6- or leukemia inhibitory factor-induced myeloid differentiation prior to c-myc: role in leukemogenesis.

The c-myb proto-oncogene is abundantly expressed in tissues of hematopoietic origin, and changes in endogenous c-myb genes have been implicated in both human and murine hematopoietic tumors. c-myb encodes a DNA-binding protein capable of trans-activating the c-myc promoter. Suppression of both of these proto-oncogenes was shown to occur upon induction of terminal differentiation but not upon induction of growth inhibition in myeloid leukemia cells. Myeloblastic leukemia M1 cells that can be induced for terminal differentiation with the physiological hematopoietic inducers interleukin-6 and leukemia inhibitory factor were genetically manipulated to constitutively express a c-myb transgene. By using immediate-early to late genetic and morphological markers, it was shown that continuous expression of c-myb disrupts the genetic program of myeloid differentiation at a very early stage, which precedes the block previously shown to be exerted by deregulated c-myc, thereby indicating that the c-myb block is not mediated via deregulation of c-myc. Enforced c-myb expression also prevents the loss in leukemogenicity of M1 cells normally induced by interleukin-6 or leukemia inhibitory factor. Any changes which have taken place, including induction of myeloid differentiation primary response genes, eventually are reversed. Also, it was shown that suppression of c-myb, essential for terminal differentiation, is not intrinsic to growth inhibition. Taken together, these findings show that c-myb plays a key regulatory role in myeloid differentiation and substantiate the notion that deregulated expression of c-myb can play an important role in leukemogenicity.     

Altered expression of cell cycle related genes including c-myb in a subclone of HL-60 that exhibits reversible differentiation.

A differentiation resistant subclone of HL-60, DMSOr, was removed from the selective pressure of dimethyl sulfoxide and characterized with a new stable phenotype of reversible differentiation. DMSOr cells, when treated with 1.25% dimethyl sulfoxide, differentiated in a manner similar to the parental HL-60 with respect to morphological changes, increase in superoxide production, and withdrawal from cell cycle. Upon removal of the dimethyl sulfoxide at points normally associated with commitment to terminal differentiation, DMSOr reverted to the immature phenotype. This demonstrates an uncoupling of the morphological, functional, and antiproliferative effects of differentiation from commitment to terminal differentiation. Associated with the reversible phenotype of DMSOr was an altered expression of the c-myb oncogene. In HL-60, c-myb expression was down-regulated by 72 h and completely diminished by 144 h. Northern blot analysis of DMSOr demonstrated greater levels of expression of c-myb at 72 and 144 h. Similar results were shown with histone H4, cdc2 kinase, and, to a lesser extent, ornithine decarboxylase. The c-myb related gene B-myb did not show altered regulation during differentiation. The results suggest that altered expression of genes that control cell cycle may be critical for the reversible phenotype of DMSOr.     

Constitutive c-myb expression in K562 cells inhibits induced erythroid differentiation but not tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate-induced megakaryocytic differentiation.

K562 cells were stably transfected with a plasmid vector constitutively expressing a full-length human c-myb gene. Parental cells possess the dual potential of inducibility of cellular differentiation along two lineages, i.e., erythroid and megakaryocytic. The resulting lineage is dependent on the inducing agent, with a number of compounds being competent to various degrees for inducing erythroid differentiation, while the tumor promoter tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) induces a macrophage-like morphology with enhanced expression of proteins associated with megakaryocytes. Exogeneous expression of c-myb in transfected cell lines abrogated erythroid differentiation induced by cadaverine or cytosine arabinoside as assessed by hemoglobin production. However, TPA-induced megakaryocytic differentiation was left intact, as assessed by cell morphology, cytochemical staining, and the expression of the megakaryocytic antigens. These results indicate that c-Myb and protein kinase C play important roles in cellular differentiation of K562 cells and suggest that agents which directly modulate protein kinase C can induce differentiation in spite of constitutively high levels of c-Myb.     

c-myb转录因子与细胞增殖分化

c-myb基因是细胞内一种原癌基因,它表达c-myb转录因子,作用于相应靶基因,调节细胞的增殖、分化。它与造血调控密切相关,同时该基因被发现在多种恶性肿瘤细胞中过表达,而其下调又是某些癌细胞分化所必需的。本文简要介绍c-myb转录因子并对其在机体造血及恶性肿瘤发生发展过程中如何被激活、如何发挥功能方面的进展作一综述。