Transgenic mice overexpressing the wild-type form of the HMGA1 gene develop mixed growth hormone/prolactin cell pituitary adenomas and natural killer cell lymphomas.
Overexpression of HMGA1 proteins is a constant feature of human carcinomas. Moreover, rearrangements of this gene have been detected in several human benign tumors of mesenchymal origin. To define the role of these proteins in cell transformation in vivo, we have generated transgenic mice overexpressing ubiquitously the HMGA1 gene. These mice developed mixed growth hormone/prolactin cell pituitary adenomas and natural killer (NK)-T/NK cell lymphomas. The HMGA1-induced expression of IL-2 and IL-15 proteins and their receptors may account for the onset of these lymphomas. At odds with mice overexpressing a wild-type or a truncated HMGA2 protein, adrenal medullar hyperplasia and pancreatic islet cell hyperplasia frequently occurred and no increase in body size and weight was observed in HMGA1 mice. Taken together, these data indicate an oncogenic role of the HMGA1 gene also in vivo.
Fedele
Monica
M
Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Pentimalli
Francesca
F
Baldassarre
Gustavo
G
Battista
Sabrina
S
Klein-Szanto
Andres J P
AJ
Kenyon
Lawrence
L
Visone
Rosa
R
De Martino
Ivana
I
Ciarmiello
Andrea
A
Arra
Claudio
C
Viglietto
Giuseppe
G
Croce
Carlo M
CM
Fusco
Alfredo
A
D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D025741:HMGA1a Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary; D015175:Prolactinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D025741:HMGA1a Protein; D019382:Human Growth Hormone