Transcription of c-onc genes c-rasKi and c-fms during mouse development.
We investigated the expression of cellular sequences c-rasKi and c-fms, which are homologous to the oncogenes of Kirsten rat sarcoma virus and the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus, during murine development and in a variety of mouse tissues. The c-rasKi gene was found to be transcribed into two mRNA species of approximately 2.0 and 4.4 kilobases, whereas a single c-fms-related transcript of approximately 3.7 kilobases was identified. The c-rasKi gene appeared to be expressed ubiquitously, since similar levels of transcripts were observed in embryos, fetuses, extraembryonal structures, and a variety of postnatal tissues. In contrast, significant expression of c-fms was found to be confined to the placenta and extraembryonal membranes (i.e., combined yolk sac and amnion). The concentration of c-fms transcripts in the placenta increased approximately 15-fold (relative to day-7 to day-9 conceptuses) during development before reaching a plateau at day 14 to 15 of gestation. The time course of cfms expression in the extraembryonal membranes appeared to parallel the stage-specific pattern observed in the placenta. The level of c-fms transcripts in the extraembryonal tissues reached a level which was approximately 20- to 50-fold greater than that in the fetus. These findings suggest that the c-fms gene product may play a role in differentiation of extraembryonal structures or in transport processes occurring in these tissues. Our results indicate that the c-onc genes analyzed in the present study exert essentially different functions during mouse development.
D000818:Animals; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005865:Gestational Age; D007708:Kirsten murine sarcoma virus / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D009857:Oncogenes; D010920:Placenta / Q000502:physiology; D005253:Sarcoma Viruses, Feline / Q000235:genetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution