Transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by a human c-sis cDNA clone

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 308; no. 5958; p. 464
• Main Authors: Clarke, M F, Westin, E, Schmidt, D, Josephs, S F, Ratner, L, Wong-Staal, F, Gallo, R C, Reitz, Jr, M S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.01.1984
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cells, Cultured; Cloning, Molecular; Deltaretrovirus - genetics; DNA - metabolism; DNA Restriction Enzymes; DNA, Neoplasm - genetics; DNA, Neoplasm - isolation & purification; Humans; Leukemia - genetics; Leukemia - microbiology; Mice; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Oncogenes; T-Lymphocytes - microbiology
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• DOI: 10.1038/308464a0

The mechanism of leukaemogenic transformation by human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV), a retrovirus implicated in the aetiology of certain adult T-cell leukaemias and lymphomas, is unknown but is conceivably associated with the expression of the cellular analogues of retroviral oncogenes. The HUT-102 cell line, derived from a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and infected with HTLV, expresses several cellular oncogenes. It is unusual among haemopoietic cell lines in that one of these is c-sis, the gene from which the oncogene v-sis of the simian sarcoma virus was derived, and perhaps the gene for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). To explore the possible role of c-sis expression in HTLV-induced disease, we have obtained cDNA clones of c-sis from HUT-102 cells. Here we describe two such clones and report that one of them transforms NIH-3T3 cells. This is the first example of transformation of NIH-3T3 cells by a human onc gene other than c-ras or Blym, as well as the first demonstration of transformation by a human cDNA clone.