Differential expression of the amv gene in human hematopoietic cells.

Abstract

Total cellular RNA from fresh and culture-derived human hematopoietic neoplastic cell types at various stages of differentiation and human sarcoma, carcinoma, melanoma and glioblastoma cell lines were enriched for poly(A)-containing sequences, fractionated by gel electrophoresis and blot hybridized to a cloned DNA probe containing the transforming sequences (v-amv) of avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV). Expression of RNA sequences homologous to AMV was detected in all immature myeloid and lymphoid T cells in addition to the single erythroid cell line examined, but not in mature T cells or in B cells, including lymphoblast cell lines derived from patients with Burkitt lymphoma. Induction of the cell line HL60, a promyelocytic leukemia line, to differentiate with dimethyl sulfoxide or retinoic acid resulted in a reduction of the level of expression of the human cellular gene c-amv homologous to v-amv. There was no detectable c-amv mRNA in any of the solid tumor cell lines examined. Expression of the human c-amv gene could be correlated with the stage of differentiation of different hematopoietic cell types determined by morphologic and marker studies. Expression of c-amv could not be correlated with the extent of methylation in HL60 and in HL60 induced to differentiate with dimethyl sulfoxide.