Tumorigenic activity of a rearranged c-myc gene from a human T-cell leukemia line

The T-lymphoma cell line Hut78 contains a rearranged c-myc oncogene derived from a translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 8 and 2; the event deletes the 3' end of the gene, causing the loss of the transcribed AT-rich sequence. It has recently been shown that the mutant c-myc mRNA is several-fold more stable than normal c-myc mRNA. We have assessed the tumorigenicity of the mutant c-myc allele by transfecting this gene and its normal counterpart into NIH3T3 cells, together with a neomycin resistance gene. Following selection for G-418 resistance, the cells were injected into nude mice. Tumors containing integrated c-myc arose in animals injected with cells transfected by the mutated, but not by the normal, allele. The results suggest that this rearranged c-myc bears a tumorigenic activity not observed in other naturally occurring mutated c-myc alleles and may have directly contributed to the tumorigenic event in the Hut78 cell line.