title: Nuclear c-myc protein, maturation, and cell-cycle status of human haemopoietic cells.
abstract: Human c-myc protein, p62c-myc, has been quantitated by flow cytometry in the nuclei of normal marrow and peripheral blood cells, and the HL60 cell line. Marrow and peripheral blood cells exhibit nuclear c-myc protein throughout the cell-cycle, at an average level 2-3-fold lower than HL60 cells. In no cells did p62c-myc vary more than 2-fold throughout the cell cycle. A small subset of marrow G0/G1 cells, enriched in early myeloid and blast cell fractions, contained p62c-myc at levels equal to or even exceeding those of HL60. Overall c-myc protein content was higher in myeloid, compared to erythroid and lymphoid marrow fractions. Within the myeloid lineage, the highest average p62c-myc level was present in cells of intermediate maturation, i.e. myelocytes and metamyelocytes. In the erythroid lineage, c-myc protein level was highest in the most immature cells and declined with maturation. Significant amounts of p62c-myc were present in post-mitotic, end-stage neutrophils, but were barely detectable in cycling late erythroblasts or in quiescent lymphocytes and monocytes. HL60 cells, despite c-myc gene amplification and increased gene expression, contain c-myc protein at a level corresponding to promyelocytes in normal human marrow. The virtual absence of p62c-myc in cycling late erythroblasts, and its presence in post-mitotic end-stage granulocytes, suggests that c-myc protein may have functions unrelated to cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University of Wales, College of Medicine, Cardiff.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bains
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Hoy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baines
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
chemical_list: D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D004247:DNA