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The universal cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) functions as a tumor suppressor, and reduced levels of p27(Kip1) connote poor prognosis in several human malignancies. p27(Kip1) levels are predominately regulated by ubiquitin-mediated turnover of the protein, which is marked for destruction by the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF(Skp2) complex following its phosphorylation by the cyclin E-cyclin-dependent kinase 2 complex. Binding of phospho-p27(Kip1) is directed by the Skp2 F-box protein, and this is greatly augmented by its allosteric regulator Cks1. We have established that programmed expression of c-Myc in the B cells of Emu-Myc transgenic mice triggers p27(Kip1) destruction by inducing Cks1, that this response controls Myc-driven proliferation, and that loss of Cks1 markedly delays Myc-induced lymphomagenesis and cancels the dissemination of these tumors. Here, we report that elevated levels of Skp2 are a characteristic of Emu-Myc lymphomas and of human Burkitt lymphoma that bear MYC/Immunoglobulin chromosomal translocations. As expected, Myc-mediated suppression of p27(Kip1) was abolished in Skp2-null Emu-Myc B cells. However, the effect of Skp2 loss on Myc-driven proliferation and lymphomagenesis was surprisingly modest compared with the effects of Cks1 loss. Collectively, these findings suggest that Cks1 targets, in addition to p27(Kip1), are critical for Myc-driven proliferation and tumorigenesis.

Despite great interest in cancer chemoprevention, effective agents are few. Here we show that chloroquine, a drug that activates the stress-responsive Atm-p53 tumor-suppressor pathway, preferentially enhances the death of Myc oncogene-overexpressing primary mouse B cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and impairs Myc-induced lymphomagenesis in a transgenic mouse model of human Burkitt lymphoma. Chloroquine-induced cell death in primary MEFs and human colorectal cancer cells was dependent upon p53, but not upon the p53 modulators Atm or Arf. Accordingly, chloroquine impaired spontaneous lymphoma development in Atm-deficient mice, a mouse model of ataxia telangiectasia, but not in p53-deficient mice. Chloroquine treatment enhanced markers of both macroautophagy and apoptosis in MEFs but ultimately impaired lysosomal protein degradation. Interestingly, chloroquine-induced cell death was not dependent on caspase-mediated apoptosis, as neither overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 nor deletion of the proapoptotic Bax and Bak affected chloroquine-induced MEF death. However, when both apoptotic and autophagic pathways were blocked simultaneously, chloroquine-induced killing of Myc-overexpressing cells was blunted. Thus chloroquine induces lysosomal stress and provokes a p53-dependent cell death that does not require caspase-mediated apoptosis. These findings specifically demonstrate that intermittent chloroquine use effectively prevents cancer in mouse models of 2 genetically distinct human cancer syndromes, Burkitt lymphoma and ataxia telangiectasia, suggesting that agents targeting lysosome-mediated degradation may be effective in cancer prevention.

Myc oncoproteins are overexpressed in most cancers and are sufficient to accelerate cell proliferation and provoke transformation. However, in normal cells Myc also triggers apoptosis. All of the effects of Myc require its function as a transcription factor that dimerizes with Max. This complex induces genes containing CACGTG E-boxes, such as Ornithine decarboxylase (Odc), which harbors two of these elements. Here we report that in quiescent cells the Odc E-boxes are occupied by Max and Mnt, a putative Myc antagonist, and that this complex is displaced by Myc-Max complexes in proliferating cells. Knockdown of Mnt expression by stable retroviral RNA interference triggers many targets typical of the "Myc" response and provokes accelerated proliferation and apoptosis. Strikingly, these effects of Mnt knockdown are even manifest in cells lacking c-myc. Moreover, Mnt knockdown is sufficient to transform primary fibroblasts in conjunction with Ras. Therefore, Mnt behaves as a tumor suppressor. These findings support a model where Mnt represses Myc target genes and Myc functions as an oncogene by relieving Mnt-mediated repression.

Induction of the Arf tumor suppressor gene by elevated thresholds of mitogenic signals activates a p53-dependent transcriptional response that triggers either growth arrest or apoptosis, thereby countering abnormal cell proliferation. Conversely, Arf inactivation is associated with tumor development. Expression of Arf in tissues of adult mice is difficult to detect, possibly because its induction leads to the arrest or elimination of incipient tumor cells. We replaced coding sequences of exon 1beta of the mouse cellular Arf gene with a cDNA encoding GFP, thereby producing Arf-null animals in which GFP expression is driven by the intact Arf promoter. The Arf promoter was induced in several biologic settings previously shown to elicit mouse p19Arf expression. Inactivation of Arf in this manner led to the outgrowth of tumor cells expressing GFP, thereby providing direct evidence that the Arf promoter monitors latent oncogenic signals in vivo.

Myc and E2f1 promote cell cycle progression, but overexpression of either can trigger p53-dependent apoptosis. Mice expressing an Emu-Myc transgene in B lymphocytes develop lymphomas, the majority of which sustain mutations of either the Arf or p53 tumor suppressors. Emu-Myc transgenic mice lacking one or both E2f1 alleles exhibited a slower onset of lymphoma development associated with increased expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) and a reduced S phase fraction in precancerous B cells. In contrast, Myc-induced apoptosis and the frequency of Arf and p53 mutations in lymphomas were unaffected by E2f1 loss. Therefore, Myc does not require E2f1 to induce Arf, p53, or apoptosis in B cells, but depends upon E2f1 to accelerate cell cycle progression and downregulate p27(Kip1).

GSK-3beta-dependent phosphorylation of cyclin D1 at Thr-286 promotes the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic redistribution of cyclin D1 during S phase of the cell cycle, but how phosphorylation regulates redistribution has not been resolved. For example, phosphorylation of nuclear cyclin D1 could increase its rate of nuclear export relative to nuclear import; alternatively, phosphorylation of cytoplasmic cyclin D1 by GSK-3beta could inhibit nuclear import. Here, we report that GSK-3beta-dependent phosphorylation promotes cyclin D1 nuclear export by facilitating the association of cyclin D1 with the nuclear exportin CRM1. D1-T286A, a cyclin D1 mutant that cannot be phosphorylated by GSK-3beta, remains nuclear throughout the cell cycle, a consequence of its reduced binding to CRM1. Constitutive overexpression of the nuclear cyclin D1-T286A in murine fibroblasts results in cellular transformation and promotes tumor growth in immune compromised mice. Thus, removal of cyclin D1 from the nucleus during S phase appears essential for regulated cell division.

Recent evidence has suggested that the Vav oncoprotein may function as a hematopoietic-specific GTP exchange factor for the Ras superfamily of proteins. However, transformation of NIH3T3 fibroblast cells by Vav is morphologically distinct from that induced by activated Ras oncogenes, suggesting that the two oncoproteins induce separate signal transduction pathways which promote transformation. To address this issue, the effects of dominant negative mutants of H-ras and proto-Vav (proto-VavR695L, a mutation in the VavSH2 domain) were tested on Vav- and Ras-induced transformation. These mutants partially inhibited both Vav- and Ras-induced transformation, suggesting that they may induce a common downstream signaling pathway which potentiates transformation. As an independent measure of Vav function we also tested the ability of the purified protein encoded by VavSH2 to influence Germinal Vesicle Breakdown (GVBD) during Xenopus oocyte maturation. Microinjection of the VavSH2 protein alone, but not mutant VavR695L SH2 protein, was sufficient to induce GVBD and accelerated maturation induced by normal Ras, suggesting that in this system as well Vav and Ras signals overlap through a common effector. A key target of multiple signalling pathways is c-Myc. Dominant negative versions of c-Myc totally abolished morphologic transformation of NIH3T3 cells by both Vav and Ras oncogenes. These results suggest that distinct, but overlapping, signalling pathways are induced by Vav and Ras and that fibroblast cell transformation by either oncogene requires c-Myc functions.

vav, a novel human oncogene, was originally generated in vitro by replacement of its normal 5' coding sequences with sequences from pSV2neo DNA, cotransfected as a selectable marker (S. Katzav, D. Martin-Zanca, and M. Barbacid, EMBO J. 8:2283-2290, 1989). The vav proto-oncogene is normally expressed in cells of hematopoietic origin. To determine whether the 5' rearrangement of vav or its ectopic expression in NIH 3T3 cells contributes to its transforming potential, we isolated murine and human proto-vav cDNA clones as well as human genomic clones corresponding to the 5' end of the gene. Normal proto-vav was poorly transforming in NIH 3T3 cells, whereas truncation of its 5' end greatly enhanced its transforming activity. The relative failure of full-length proto-vav cDNA clones to transform NIH 3T3 cells indicates that the transforming activity of vav is not simply due to ectopic expression. Analysis of the predicted amino terminus of the vav proto-oncogene shows that it contains a helix-loop-helix domain and a leucine zipper motif similar to that of myc family proteins, though it lacks a basic region that is usually found adjacent to helix-loop-helix domains. Loss of the helix-loop-helix domain of proto-vav, either by truncation or by rearrangement with pSV2neo sequences, activates its oncogenic potential.

Murine bone marrow cells infected with replication-defective retroviruses containing v-raf alone or v-myc alone yielded transformed pre-B cell lines, while a retroviral construct containing both v-raf and v-myc oncogenes produced clonally related populations of mature B cells and mature macrophages. The genealogy of these transformants demonstrates that mature myeloid cells were derived from cells with apparent B-lineage commitment and functional immunoglobulin rearrangements. This system should facilitate studies of developmental relationships in hematopoietic differentiation and analysis of lineage determination.

A series of wild-type and mutant raf genes was transfected into NIH 3T3 cells and analyzed for transforming activity. Full-length wild-type c-raf did not show transforming activity. Two types of mutations resulted in oncogenic activity similar to that of v-raf: truncation of the amino-terminal half of the protein and fusion of the full-length molecule to gag sequences. A lower level of activation was observed for a mutant with a tetrapeptide insertion mapping to conserved region 2 (CR2), a serine- and threonine-rich domain located 100 residues amino-terminal of the kinase domain. To determine essential structural features of the transforming region of raf, we analyzed point and deletion mutants of v-raf. Substitutions of Lys-56 modulated the transforming activity, whereas mutation of Lys-53, a putative ATP binding residue, abolished it. Deletion analysis established that the minimal transforming sequence coincided precisely with CR3, the conserved Raf kinase domain. Thus, oncogenic activation of the Raf kinase can be achieved by removal of CR1 and CR2 or by steric distortion and requires retention of an active kinase domain. These findings are consistent with a protein structure model for the nonstimulated enzyme in which the active site is buried within the protein.

We have constructed a recombinant retrovirus containing the murine c-myc and the neo gene and introduced the virus into the interleukin-3 (IL3) dependent myeloid cell line FDC-P1. Unregulated expression of the introduced c-myc gene is associated with both an increased viability and constitutive ornithine decarboxylase mRNA levels in FDC-P1 cells grown in the absence of IL3. FDC-P1 cells infected with the c-myc virus gave rise to IL3 independent lines. Three out of four independent lines have an activated endogenous c-myc or N-myc gene. We have also shown that c-myc mRNA levels are tightly regulated by IL3 in FDC-P1 cells. Taken together these results indicate that myc plays a critical role in the signal transduction pathway of IL3. Furthermore, activation of the N-myc gene may be one mechanism for myeloid cells to progress to complete IL3 independence.

A retroviral insertion into the c-myb gene, which resulted in a 3' truncation, was found in an in vitro-derived myeloid cell line. The retroviral insertion occurred at precisely the same nucleotide at which another murine leukemia virus insertion occurred in an in vivo-induced myeloid leukemia. These findings suggest that comparable events may be required for the derivation of myeloid cell lines in vitro and for induction of myeloid leukemia in vivo.

raf oncogenes were shown to act synergistically with myc in transformation. The contribution of myc was identified as that of a "second messenger" in signal transduction of at least some, competence inducing, growth factors. The role of raf appears to be that of a cytosolic ser/thr specific protein kinase which was placed downstream of ras in the signal transduction of serum growth factors by ras and raf antibody microinjection experiments. Because of the inability of raf to abrogate a cells need for myc inducing competence factors, as well as its synergistic effect with myc, raf was placed downstream of ras in the progression pathway of cellular growth control. We speculate that the basis for synergism with myc might be the ability of raf to activate competence factor induced myc protein or a myc induced protein by phosphorylation. The role of raf in lung tumors was examined by the development of a high incidence mouse model system using ethylnitrosourea as carcinogen and butylated hydroxytoluene as promoter. raf proteins of normal size were expressed at high levels, raf protein vaccination was apparently effective in eliminating the promoted phase of tumor induction.