| First Author | Condorelli GL | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Cancer Res | Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 22 | Pages | 5113-9 |
| PubMed ID | 8912842 | Mgi Jnum | J:101583 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3604286 | Citation | Condorelli GL, et al. (1996) T-cell-directed TAL-1 expression induces T-cell malignancies in transgenic mice. Cancer Res 56(22):5113-9 |
| abstractText | The TAL-1 gene specifies for a basic domain-helix-loop-helix protein, which is involved in the control of normal hematopoiesis. In human pathology, the TAL-1 gene product is expressed in a high percentage of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias in the pediatric age range; however, it has not been established whether the expression has a causal role in oncogenesis. In this report, we describe the phenotype of mouse transgenic lines obtained by inducing tal-1 protein expression in lymphoid tissues using the LCK promoter. The survival rate of tal-1 transgenic animals was much lower as compared with control mice. Histopathological analysis revealed lymphomas of T-cell type, often comprising a minor B-cell component. Some mice showed marked splenic lymphocyte depletion. Primary lymphocyte cultures showed partial independence from exogenous growth stimuli and increased resistance to low-serum apoptosis. To further unravel the tal-1 oncogenic potential, a strain of tal-1 transgenic mice was crossbred with p53-/- mice; the survival rate in these animals was reduced by more than one-half when compared with that of tal-1 mice, and histopathological analysis revealed exclusively T-cell lymphomas. These data indicate that TAL-1, expressed in T cells, is per se a potent oncogene, which may exert a key leukemogenetic role in the majority of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias. |
