The CML-specific P210 bcr/abl protein, unlike v-abl, does not transform NIH/3T3 fibroblasts.
The v-abl oncogene of the Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) is known to efficiently transform NIH/3T3 fibroblasts in vitro and to cause an acute lymphosarcoma in susceptible murine hosts. The role of its relative, the bcr/abl gene product, in the etiology of human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) remains speculative. To assess the transforming properties of the bcr/abl gene product, complementary DNA clones encoding the CML-specific P210 bcr/abl protein were expressed in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. In contrast to the v-abl oncogene product P160, the P210 bcr/abl gene product did not transform NIH/3T3 cells. Cell lines were isolated that expressed high levels of the P210 bcr/abl protein but were morphologically normal. During the course of these experiments, a transforming recombinant of bcr/abl was isolated which fuses gag determinants derived from helper virus to the NH2-terminus of the bcr/abl protein. This suggests that a property of viral gag sequences, probably myristylation-dependent membrane localization, must be provided to bcr/abl for it to transform fibroblasts.
D000011:Abelson murine leukemia virus / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D014162:Transfection; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl