title: Enhanced proliferation of primary rat type II pneumocytes by Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope protein.
abstract: Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the causative agent of a contagious lung cancer in sheep. The envelope protein (Env) is the oncogene, as it can transform cell lines in culture and induce tumors in animals, although the mechanisms for transformation are not yet clear because a system to perform transformation assays in differentiated type II pneumocytes does not exist. In this study we report culture of primary rat type II pneumocytes in conditions that favor prolonged expression of markers for type II pneumocytes. Env-expressing cultures formed more colonies that were larger in size and were viable for longer periods of time compared to vector control samples. The cells that remained in culture longer were confirmed to be derived from type II pneumocytes because they expressed surfactant protein C, cytokeratin, displayed alkaline phosphatase activity and were positive for Nile red. This system will be useful to study JSRV Env in the targets of transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Cancer Research Institute, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
authors.forename: Chassidy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jahid
authors.forename: Dennis R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Voelker
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D056809:Alveolar Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D022141:Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007633:Keratins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D010455:Peptides; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C077063:Sftpc protein, rat; D007633:Keratins; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase