title: Expression of the c-fes proto-oncogene in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-dependent acute myelogenous leukemia cells grown autonomously.
abstract: In the present article, we show that 6 of 69 acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) samples exhibited autonomous in vitro growth that was dependent on endogenous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Cytoplasmic RNA harvested from all 6 leukemia specimens contained GM-CSF transcripts easily detectable by mRNA hybridization. All 6 GM-CSF-expressing leukemia samples simultaneously displayed high levels of transcripts for the c-fes proto-oncogene previously shown to be expressed in GM-CSF sensitive myeloid cells, whereas only 2 of the 48 AML samples not expressing GM-CSF accumulated c-fes mRNA. Seven of additional 14 GM-CSF-expressing specimens showed specific signals upon RNA hybridization with the c-fes probe, but failed to grow autonomously. These results suggest that c-fes and GM-CSF genes may be coordinately regulated in AML blasts and that GM-CSF-mediated growth autonomy may be linked to c-fes expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, University of Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brach
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gauer
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ganser
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mertelsmann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division; D015870:Gene Expression; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051578:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fes; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C496645:FES protein, human; D051578:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fes