A bcr-v-abl oncogene induces lymphomas in transgenic mice

In chronic myeloid leukemia and some cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a 9;22 chromosome translocation has fused most of the c-abl oncogene to a gene designated bcr. To explore in vivo the biological effects of the chimeric gene, we introduced a facsimile of the translocation product, a bcr-v-abl gene, into the mouse germ line under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer or a retroviral long terminal repeat. Some transgenic mice bearing either construct developed clonal lymphoid tumors. T lymphomas predominated, but some pre-B lymphomas developed. The transgenes were expressed in the tumors but not detectably in the lymphoid tissues of nontumorous transgenic animals, implying that transcription is activated by a low-frequency somatic event. These results demonstrate that bcr-v-abl is tumorigenic in vivo and provide a new animal model for lymphomagenesis.