Expression of bcl-2 and bcl-x genes in lymphocytes and tumor cell lines derived from MDV-infected chickens.
To characterize the molecular events involved in both apoptosis and transformation process induced by Marek's disease virus (MDV), the expressions of the bcl-2 and bcl-x genes, ones of the dominant apoptosis-regulating genes, in Marek's disease (MD) tumor cell lines and cells prepared from MDV-infected chickens were analyzed. The expression of bcl-2 was down-regulated in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells prepared from MDV-infected chickens at 3 weeks p.i. No bcl-2 transcript was detected in MD tumor-derived MSB1 and MTB1 cell lines, which had been established from primary MD tumors. On the other hand, the bcl-xL transcript whose product can also inhibit apoptosis was expressed in cell lines derived from MD. By the treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, normal CD4+ T cells were induced to express bcl-xS which can promote apoptosis, while bcl-xL was constitutively expressed in MD cell lines. Our results suggest that bcl-xL rather than bcl-2 might play an important role in the transformation process by MDV.
Ohashi
K
K
Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. okazu@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp
Morimura
T
T
Takagi
M
M
Lee
S I
SI
Cho
K O
KO
Takahashi
H
H
Maeda
Y
Y
Sugimoto
C
C
Onuma
M
M
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002645:Chickens; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015870:Gene Expression; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D008381:Herpesvirus 2, Gallid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008380:Marek Disease / Q000821:virology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000821:virology; D051020:bcl-X Protein
D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051020:bcl-X Protein