Gene Expression and Signal Transduction in Transformatio

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The chief objective of our research is to understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms responsible for differentiation, cell growth, and neoplastic transformation. We study the oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes and signal-transducing proteins in mouse and human experimental tumor systems, including BALB/c mouse plasmacytomas, B-cell lymphomas, and NIH 3T3 cells, among others. These are valuable experimental models, because they can be used to devise more specific therapy and preventive measures for human multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and other human malignancies. BALB/c plasmacytomas, like human Burkitt lymphomas, are characterized by constitutive expression of the proto-oncogene, c-Myc. To determine which additional genetic alterations are required for complete transformation, we are using microarray hybridization studies of global gene expression to follow changes in gene expression during progression from pre-malignant to fully malignant plasma cell tumors. We are also using microarray hybridization studies to probe the molecular mechanisms at work in development of plasma cell tumors in mice and the mechanisms whereby certain transgenes and viral oncogenes accelerate this neoplastic process. Global gene expression studies are also underway to determine the physiological changes necessary for these tumors to adapt to growth in tissue culture. It is our hypothesis that such adaptive changes in gene expression that enable tumor cells to grow in the foreign environment of culture vessels might be analogous to those needed for human tumors to grow in alien environments following invasion or metastasis.In the study of signal transduction in differentiation and neoplastic transformation, we are investigating the isoform-specific features of the protein kinase C (PKC) family of serine/threonine kinases. We have been focusing on the delta and epsilon isoenzymes, which have opposing effects on cell proliferation. We have shown that most of the isoenzyme-specific determinants are located in the catalytic half (the carboxyl-terminal domain) of these PKCs by creating reciprocal chimeric cDNAs that encode molecules that are half PKC-delta and half PKC-epsilon. We are further dissecting the structure of the catalytic domain to determine which sub-domains determine PKC isoform- specific functions, focusing on the carboxy-terminal 50 amino acids, the "V5 domain." We are also studying the nature of PKC's involvement in apoptosis, in cytoskeleton-related changes in cell shape and motility, and in cooperation with the c-Myc proto-oncogene. We have shown that phorbol ester-activation of overexpressed PKC-delta disrupts the actin cytoskeleton in human and mouse lymphocytes, leading to the loss of membrane ruffling, a surface alteration needed for cell movement, and the loss of the typical elongated shape of these cells. We have demonstrated that this effect is due to PKC-mediated changes in phosphorylation of key tyrosine residues in the adaptor molecule, paxillin. Whereas the PKC-mediated effects on loss of tyrosine phosphorylation are indirect, we also have learned that PKC-delta can directly bind paxillin and phosphorylate a specific threonine, leading to homotypic aggregation.We have also shown that Myc and one of the PKC isoforms, PKC-gamma, can cooperate to transform NIH3T3 cells in vitro and in vivo, apparently not requiring intra-nuclear Myc. We are trying to understand the mechanism whereby this is accomplished.