Proto-oncogene expression and dissection of the myeloid growth to differentiation developmental cascade

Physiological inducers of myeloid cell growth and differentiation were used to simultaneously analyze the expression of the proto-oncogenes c-myc, c-myb, c-fos, c-fes and c-fms during normal myelopoiesis, where growth is coupled to differentiation, as compared with that in leukemia, where growth has been uncoupled from differentiation as well as upon suppression of the leukemic phenotype via induction of differentiation and growth arrest. Proto-oncogene expression was also used as a tool to dissect the growth to differentiation developmental cascade. Myeloid cell growth was correlated with high c-myc and c-myb RNA levels, decreasing to undetectable levels in terminally differentiated cells. No c-myc RNA was detected in normal myeloid progenitors induced for differentiation without growth, using media conditioned by mouse granulocytes (GCM), indicating that c-myc may play either no role or an inhibitory one in differentiation. RNA levels of the proto-oncogenes c-fos, c-fes and c-fms were undetectable in normal or M1 differentiation inducible (D+) leukemic myeloblasts, and were stably induced upon stimulation of the normal precursors for growth and differentiation, with highest levels at the time when most of the cells had undergone terminal differentiation. Only c-fes RNA was induced upon M1D+ differentiation. It was also shown to be induced upon induction of differentiation without growth in normal myeloid precursors. Using c-myc and c-myb RNA suppression as molecular markers for induction of M1D+ differentiation, the existence of myeloid differentiation factor(s), distinct from myeloid growth factors, has been demonstrated. Such differentiation inducing activity was found in media conditioned by mouse lungs or granulocytes, and was induced in normal myeloid precursors by the myelopoietic growth factors IL3, GM-CSF, G-CSF, and M-CSF. Taken together, the results of this study enhance and add to previous work to better correlate the expression of the proto-oncogenes myc, myb, fes, fos and fms with several parameters of normal and abnormal myeloid cell growth and differentiation. The results indicate that the normal myeloid growth to differentiation developmental cascade entails a mechanism whereby myeloid growth factors induce myeloid differentiation factors, subsequently suppressing c-myc and c-myb RNA expression, leading to the induction of differentiation and growth arrest, including early accumulation of c-fes RNA followed by accumulation of c-fos and c-fms RNAs. It was also indicated that this cascade is impaired in leukemia.