Identification of genes differentially expressed in two types of v-myb-transformed avian myelomonocytic cells

Abstract

In an earlier study we found that different forms of the v-myb oncogene transform myeloid cells which resemble either monoblasts [when v-myb of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) was used] or promyelocytes [when a point mutant in v-myb of AMV was used; Introna, M., Golay, J., Frampton J., Nakano, T., Ness, S.A. & Graf, T. (1990). Cell, 63, 1287-1297]. In the present study we have searched for genes expressed in AMV mutant-transformed promyelocytes that are not expressed in AMV-transformed monoblasts using a differential screening approach. Eight different genes were identified among more than 500 differentially expressed clones. The most abundant of these was the previously identified myb-regulated mim-1 gene. The others were found to encode a small calcium-binding (MRP-like) protein; the p20K protein; goose-type lysozyme; a ribonuclease A/angiogenin-related protein; and three non-identified proteins. Although these genes appear to be rather lineage restricted, their expression varied in different subtypes of transformed myelomonocytic cells, and only two of them (goose lysozyme and ribonuclease) showed a similar expression pattern in normal promyelocytes and macrophages, suggesting an aberrant gene regulation in the transformed cells. Co-transfection experiments of a reporter construct containing the promoter of the ribonuclease A-related gene indicated that this promoter is regulated by the v-Myb oncoprotein without the involvement of Myb-specific binding sequences.