Overexpression of v-abl uniquely cooperates with c-myc dysregulation in induction of plasma cell tumors, bypassing the need for T-lymphocytic help and overcoming T-lymphocytic interference.
We have investigated the effects of T lymphocytes on induction of mouse plasma cell tumors. We show that ABL-MYC, a plasmacytomagenic retrovirus that constitutively expresses v-abl and c-myc, is able to induce plasmacytomas in 100% of athymic BALB/c mice, with or without intraperitoneal pristane pretreatment. Other induction regimens are ineffective under these conditions, indicating that the combination of v-abl and c-myc oncogenes is uniquely able to transform plasma cells in mice that are deficient in T lymphocytes. Furthermore, in the absence of pristane, ABL-MYC-infected athymic congenics developed plasmacytomas in half the time required for euthymic BALB/c mice, suggesting that T lymphocytes can have a negative effect and can retard, but not totally inhibit, the outgrowth of plasmacytomas. This phenomenon could not be appreciated in other regimens of plasmacytoma induction, because only ABL-MYC is sufficient to induce plasmacytomas in athymic mice or in euthymic mice in the absence of pristane pretreatment.
Weissinger
E M
EM
Laboratory of Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Byrd
L G
LG
Henderson
D W
DW
Mushinski
J F
JF
D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D016313:Genes, abl; D016259:Genes, myc; D017578:Immunoglobulin Class Switching; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology
D015850:Interleukin-6; D013729:Terpenes; C009042:pristane