Differential expression of the mouse and human Thy-1 gene in embryonal carcinoma cells.
Mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells express on their surfaces a Thy-1 glycoprotein. The expression of Thy-1 at the mRNA and protein levels is down-regulated during differentiation induced by retinoic acid (RA). Thy-1 is also expressed in human NTERA-2 EC cells, but its expression is not down-regulated during RA-induced differentiation. As a first step towards understanding differential regulation of the mouse and human Thy-1 gene in EC cells, we have introduced genomic DNA fragments encompassing the mouse or human Thy-1 gene into NTERA-2 and P19-derived cells and analyzed surface properties of the transfectants. In the transient transfection assay, both mouse and human Thy-1 genes were expressed on cell surfaces at comparable levels. P19-derived stable transfectants exhibited great clonal variations in the expressions of the transfected Thy-1 gene products, which in part reflected copy numbers. There was no simple correlation between the expression of the transfected Thy-1 gene and two stem cell surface markers, TEC-1 and TEC-4. In the course of differentiation induced by RA several clones with a surface phenotype of EC cells exhibited a significant decrease in the expression of the transfected mouse Thy-1, whereas expression of the human Thy-1 was less efficiently down-regulated. The results suggest the presence of multiple cis- and trans-acting elements controlling expression of the mouse and human Thy-1 genes in P19 EC cells and their differentiated derivatives.
Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague.
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Malý
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Králová
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Dráber
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D054278:Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens; D014162:Transfection; D014212:Tretinoin
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens; D014212:Tretinoin