Investigation of aberrant translational control of c-myc in cell lines derived from patients with multiple myeloma

Abstract

In cell lines derived from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) we have found an elevation in the amount of the c-myc protein which is not accompanied by an increase in the level of mRNA or a change in the half-life of the protein. There is a 3.4 fold enhancement in the degree of association of the c-myc message with polysomes. This is not accompanied by an alteration in polysome size or a change in the transit time of the c-myc mRNA on the polysomes thus suggesting that there is in increase in the degree of mobilisation of the c-myc message. Sequencing of the c-myc 5'UTR has revealed the presence of a mutation in all the MM cell lines studied and we demonstrate that this mutation causes altered binding of cellular proteins to this RNA species.