Oncogenic potential of bcl-2 demonstrated by gene transfer.
Follicular lymphoma is the most common human B-cell malignancy in the United States and Western Europe. Most of the tumours contain t(14;18) chromosome translocations involving the human bcl-2 gene. Translocation of bcl-2 sequences from chromosome 18 into the transcriptionally active immunoglobulin locus at chromosome band 14q32 in B cells deregulates bcl-2 gene expression, resulting in the accumulation of high levels of bcl-2 messenger. Human bcl-2 transcripts generate two proteins, p26 bcl-2-alpha and p22 bcl-2-beta, by virtue of alternative splice-site selection. Both proteins have in common their first 196 NH2-terminal amino acids but share little similarity with other sequences in a data bank. Although the biological and biochemical functions of bcl-2 are unknown, recent subcellular localization studies indicate that p26 bcl-2-alpha associates with cellular membranes, consistent with a stretch of hydrophobic amino acids in its carboxy terminus. The bcl-2 gene may represent a novel oncogene having no known retroviral counterpart. Here we demonstrate the oncogenic potential of bcl-2 through a gene transfer approach.
Reed
J C
JC
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-6082.
Cuddy
M
M
Slabiak
T
T
Croce
C M
CM
Nowell
P C
PC
D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002460:Cell Line; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015342:DNA Probes; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D006801:Humans; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009857:Oncogenes; D010957:Plasmids; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
D015342:DNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004247:DNA; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes