Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Retroviral Infection of Murine Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Embryoid Body Cells for Analysis of Hematopoietic Differentiation
Published on: October 20, 2014
The viral and cellular Rel oncoproteins induce the differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells
M Inuzuka1, H Ishikawa, S Kumar
1Department of Viral Oncology, Kyoto University, Japan.
Abstract:
Rel proteins have been implicated in the differentiation and transformation of lymphoid cells. Despite their significant sequence homology to the Drosophila Dorsal morphogen, a functional role for Rel proteins in early development has yet to be established. Here we show that expression of the v- or c-rel genes in P19 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells leads to drastic morphological changes accompanied by the expression of several differentiation-specific antigens. In contrast, v-Rel mutants defective for DNA-binding as well as those lacking the F9 cell-specific transcription activation region of v-Rel were equally unable to promote P19 cell differentiation. Our results demonstrate that transcriptional activation by Rel proteins correlates with Rel-induced differentiation of EC cells, and raise the intriguing possibility that Rel proteins may play an important role in early developmental processes.
Related Concept Videos
Abnormal Proliferation
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...

