Activation of the c-ski oncogene by overexpression

The v-ski oncogene is a truncated version of the cellular proto-oncogene, c-ski, and lacks sequences coding for both the N- and C-terminal ends of the c-ski protein. In the region of overlap, v-ski and c-ski differ by only one amino acid. To determine whether these differences underlie v-ski's oncogenic activation, we have cloned cDNAs for several alternatively spliced c-ski mRNAs and introduced these cDNAs into replication-competent retroviral vectors. The biological activities of these c-ski constructs have been compared with those of v-ski. We found that all c-ski gene products, when expressed at high levels from the promoter in the retroviral long terminal repeat, can induce morphological transformation, anchorage independence, and muscle differentiation in avian cells. Cells that are susceptible to ski-induced transformation and myogenesis normally express endogenous c-ski at low levels. Thus, it appears that overexpression of ski is sufficient for oncogenic and myogenic activation.