Complex lymphoid and epithelial thymic tumours in Thy1-myc transgenic mice.
T-lymphocyte development takes place mainly in the thymus, where stromal cells of epithelial and haemopoietic origin are involved in inductive and selective mechanisms, which enable specific lymphocyte populations to migrate to the periphery and establish a network of immune responses. Experiments with intact animals have clarified the precursor-product relationships between thymocyte subpopulations, but the molecular mechanisms of cell interactions in the thymus are difficult to study in vivo. In an attempt to expand thymic cell populations in vivo and maintain them in vitro for such studies, we directed high levels of expression of the murine c-myc proto-oncogene in transgenic mice by inserting it into the mouse Thy-1 transcriptional unit. Such mice develop thymic tumours which contain proliferating thymocytes and, interestingly, expanded populations of epithelial cells. Both cell types can be maintained in vitro.
Spanopoulou
E
E
Laboratory of Gene Structure and Expression, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, UK.
Early
A
A
Elliott
J
J
Crispe
N
N
Ladyman
H
H
Ritter
M
M
Watt
S
S
Grosveld
F
F
Kioussis
D
D
D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D013154:Spleen / Q000502:physiology; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens; D013945:Thymoma / Q000235:genetics*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens