Regulation of c-myc mRNA levels by insulin or platelet-poor plasma

Cell lines have been permanently established from BALB/c3T3 cells that constitutively express either the murine p53, the human IGF-1 gene, or both (Gai et al., 1988). The derivative cell lines grow well in platelet-poor plasma or in serum-free medium supplemented with the appropriate growth factors, while BALB/c3T3 cells do not grow in platelet-poor plasma, nor do they grow in serum-free medium unless supplemented with both platelet-derived growth factor and insulin (or IGF-1). In BALB/c3T3 cells, steady-state levels of c-myc mRNA decrease promptly and sharply once the cells are transferred to platelet-poor plasma. In the derivative cell lines, constitutively expressing p53, IGF-1, or both, c-myc mRNA levels remain elevated and actually increase when the cells are transferred to platelet-poor plasma. In serum-free medium, the c-myc mRNA levels decreased in BALB/c3T3 cells, as well as in the derivative cell lines. However, in the latter cell lines, but not in BALB/c3T3, the addition of platelet-poor plasma or insulin again increased the expression of c-myc. The increase in c-myc mRNA levels could be partially explained by an increase in transcription. These results indicate that in certain cell lines the expression of c-myc mRNA can be induced by insulin or platelet-poor plasma.