Differential expression of myc family genes during murine development (original) (raw)

Nature volume 319, pages 780–783 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

The myc family of cellular oncogenes contains three known members. The N-myc and c-myc genes have 5′-noncoding exons, strikingly homologous coding regions1–3, and display similar oncogenic potential in an in vitro transformation assay4,5. The L-myc gene is less well characterized, but shows homology to N-myc and c-myc (ref. 6; also see below), c-myc is expressed in most dividing cells, and deregulated expression of this gene has been implicated in the development of many classes of tumours7. In contrast, expression of N-myc has been found only in a restricted set of tumours, most of which show neural characteristics; these include human neuroblastoma8–10, retinoblastoma10,11 and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)12. L-myc expression has so far been found only in SCLC6. Activated N-myc and L-myc expression has been implicated in oncogenesis4–6,11,12; for example, although N-myc expression has been found in all neuroblastomas tested9,10, activated (greatly increased) N-myc expression, resulting from gene amplification8,13,14, is correlated with progression of the tumour15. We now report that high-level expression of N- and L-myc is very restricted with respect to tissue and stage in the developing mouse, while that of c-myc is more generalized. Furthermore, we demonstrate that N-myc is not simply a neuroectoderm-specific gene; both N- and L-myc seem to be involved in the early stages of multiple differentiation pathways. Our findings suggest that differential myc gene expression has a role in mammalian development and that the normal expression patterns of these genes generally predict the types of tumours in which they are expressed or activated.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kohl, N. E. et al. Nature 3,9, 73–77 (1986).
    Article ADS Google Scholar
  2. DePinho, R. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).
  3. Colby, W. W. et al. Nature 301, 722–725 (1983).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  4. Yancopoulos, G. D. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 5455–5459 (1985).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  5. Schwab, M., Varmus, H. E. & Bishop, J. M. Nature 316, 160–163 (1985).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  6. Nau, M. M. et al. Nature 318, 69–73 (1985).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  7. Varmus, H. A. Rev. Genet. 18, 553–612 (1984).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  8. Kohl, N. E. et al. Cell 35, 359–367 (1983).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  9. Schwab, M. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 4940–4944 (1984).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  10. Kohl, N. E., Gee, C. E. & Alt, F. W. Science 226, 1335–1336 (1984).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  11. Lee, W. H., Murphee, A. L. & Benedict, W. F. Nature 309, 458–460 (1984).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  12. Nau, M. M. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).
  13. Schwab, M. et al. Nature 305, 245–248 (1983).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  14. Michitsch, R. W., Montgomery, K. T. & Melera, P. W. Molec. cell. Biol. 4, 2370–2380 (1984).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  15. Schwab, M. et al. Nature 308, 288–291 (1984).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  16. Nepveu, A., Fahrlander, P. D., Yang, J. & Marcu, K. B. Nature 317, 440–443 (1985).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  17. Whitlock, C. A., Ziegler, S. F., Treiman, L. J., Stafford, J. J. & Witte, O. N. Cell 32, 903–911 (1983).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  18. Carney, D. N. et al. Cancer Res. 45, 2913–2923 (1985).
    CAS PubMed Google Scholar
  19. Gazdar, A. F., Carney, D. N., Nau, M. F. & Minna, J. D. Cancer Res. 45, 2924–2930 (1985).
    CAS PubMed Google Scholar
  20. Becker, K. L. & Gazder, A. F. The Endocrine Lung in Health and Disease (Saunders, Philadelphia, 1984).
    Google Scholar
  21. Nisen, P. D. et al. EMBO. J. (submitted).
  22. Gonzalez-Crussi, F. (ed.) & Franklin, W. A. in Wilms' Tumour and Related Renal Neoplasms of Childhood, 7 (CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1984).
    Google Scholar
  23. Yancopoulos, G. D. & Alt, F. W. Cell 40, 271–281 (1985).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  24. Stanton, L. W., Fahrknder, P. D., Tesser, P. M. & Marcu, K. B. Nature 310, 423–425 (1984).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  25. Alt, F. W., Rosenberg, N., Lewis, S., Thomas, E. & Baltimore, D. Cell 27, 381–390 (1981).
    Article CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, 10032, USA
    Kathryn A. Zimmerman, George D. Yancopoulos, Robert G. Collum, Russell K. Smith, Nancy E. Kohl & Frederick W. Alt
  2. Center for Reproductive Sciences, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York, 10032, USA
    Dominique Toran-Allerand
  3. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA
    Kathleen A. Denis & Owen N. Witte
  4. NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health & Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814, USA
    Marion M. Nau & John D. Minna
  5. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA
    Connie E. Gee

Authors

  1. Kathryn A. Zimmerman
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  2. George D. Yancopoulos
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  3. Robert G. Collum
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  4. Russell K. Smith
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  5. Nancy E. Kohl
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  6. Kathleen A. Denis
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  7. Marion M. Nau
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  8. Owen N. Witte
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  9. Dominique Toran-Allerand
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  10. Connie E. Gee
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  11. John D. Minna
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  12. Frederick W. Alt
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zimmerman, K., Yancopoulos, G., Collum, R. et al. Differential expression of myc family genes during murine development.Nature 319, 780–783 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/319780a0

Download citation

This article is cited by