Transformation of mouse cells by wild-type mouse c-Src

Previous studies in which chicken and human c-Src were overexpressed in chicken and rodent cells have indicated that overexpression of wild-type c-Src can not induce complete neoplastic transformation. However, studies with v-Src mutants have demonstrated that species-specific differences can play a significant role in transforming activity. Here we show that, in contrast to chicken c-Src, overexpressed mouse c-Src can induce significant anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity when transfected into NIH3T3 mouse cells. The biochemical cause for this difference is unknown. In particular, the protein-tyrosine kinase activities of chicken and mouse c-Src appear to be similar. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that v-Src-induced transformation results from perturbation of signalling pathways modulated by c-Src and highlights the need for caution in controlling for potential species-specific differences in studies of c-Src function.