Identification of a 130 Kda bcr related gene product

Human chronic myelogenous leukemia is characterized by a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. This results in the transfer of the c-abl protooncogene from chromosome 9 into the bcr gene on chromosome 22. The purpose of this study was to characterize the bcr and related gene products. Antibodies were raised against a fused trpE-bcr protein induced in a bacterial expression vector. Immunoprecipitation with the monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies of metabolically [35S]methionine labeled leukemic cell lines shows a 210, 160 and 130 Kda protein in Philadelphia positive cells containing the bcr-abl fused transcript. Only the 160 and 130 Kda were present in the Philadelphia negative cells. In vitro kinase assay shows that the 130 Kda protein is a phosphoprotein mainly phosphorylated on serine. Partial proteolysis indicates that the p210 and p130 share common domains. In subcellular fractionation experiments, the p130 is colocalized with the p210 bcr-abl in the cytoplasmic fraction. Together with the mapping of 4 distinct bcr related loci our data suggest that the 130 Kda phosphoprotein belongs to a wider family of bcr related gene products.