| First Author | Larson RC | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | EMBO J | Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1021-7 |
| PubMed ID | 8605871 | Mgi Jnum | J:102013 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3606395 | Citation | Larson RC, et al. (1996) Protein dimerization between Lmo2 (Rbtn2) and Tal1 alters thymocyte development and potentiates T cell tumorigenesis in transgenic mice. EMBO J 15(5):1021-7 |
| abstractText | The LMO2 and TAL1 genes were first identified via chromosomal translocations and later found to encode proteins that interact during normal erythroid development. Some T cell leukaemia patients have chromosomal abnormalities involving both genes, implying that LMO2 and TAL1 act synergistically to promote tumorigenesis after their inappropriate co-expression. To test this hypothesis, transgenic mice were made which co-express Lmo2 and Tal1 genes in T cells. Dimers of Lmo2 and Tal1 proteins were formed in thymocytes of double but not single transgenic mice. Furthermore, thymuses of double transgenic mice were almost completely populated by immature T cells from birth, and these mice develop T cell tumours approximately 3 months earlier than those with only the Lmo2 transgene. Thus interaction between these two proteins can alter T cell development and potentiate tumorigenesis. The data also provide formal proof that TAL1 is an oncogene, apparently acting as a tumour promoter in this system. |
