title: Identification of a novel NOTCH-4/INT-3 RNA species encoding an activated gene product in certain human tumor cell lines.
abstract: Ectopic expression of the intracellular domain of NOTCH-4/INT-3 leads to tumorigenesis in the mouse mammary gland. This results from a gain-of-function mutation. To evaluate gain-of-function NOTCH-4/INT-3 activity in human cancers we have surveyed human breast, lung, and colon carcinoma tissue culture cell lines for evidence of increased NOTCH-4/INT-3 RNA expression. High levels of a 1.8 Kb NOTCH-4/INT-3 RNA species are detected in normal human testis but not in other tissues where a 6.5 Kb species is prevalent. Transformed human cancer cell lines express the 1.8 Kb NOTCH-4/INT-3 RNA species. We show that this RNA species encodes a truncated form of the NOTCH-4/INT-3 intracellular domain (ICD). This novel NOTCH-4/INT-3 protein includes the CDC10 repeats and amino acid residues C-terminal to them, but is missing the CBF-1 binding region of the NOTCH-4/INT-3 ICD. This suggests that it has a different mode of action. Furthermore, we show that a transgene which expresses the 1.8 Kb NOTCH-4/INT-3 RNA species in the 'normal' human mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10A enables these cells to grow in soft agar.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imatani
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Callahan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001482:Base Composition; D002460:Cell Line; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000074562:Receptor, Notch4; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C106075:NOTCH4 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D000074562:Receptor, Notch4; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D012313:RNA