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Mol. Cell. Biol., Mar 1997, 1490-1502, Vol 17, No. 3
W Tam, D Ben-Yehuda and WS Hayward
The bic locus is a common retroviral integration site in avian leukosis
virus (ALV)-induced B-cell lymphomas originally identified by infection of
chickens with ALVs of two different subgroups (Clurman and Hayward, Mol.
Cell. Biol. 9:2657-2664, 1989). Based on its frequent association with
c-myc activation and its preferential activation in metastatic tumors, the
bic locus is thought to harbor a gene that can collaborate with c-myc in
lymphomagenesis and presumably plays a role in late stages of tumor
progression. In the present study, we have cloned and characterized two
novel genes, bdw and bic, at the bic locus. bdw encoded a putative novel
protein of 345 amino acids. However, its expression did not appear to be
altered in tumor tissues, suggesting that it is not involved in
oncogenesis. The bic gene consisted of two exons and was expressed as two
spliced and alternatively polyadenylated transcripts at low levels in
lymphoid/hematopoietic tissues. In tumors harboring bic integrations,
proviruses drove bic gene expression by promoter insertion, resulting in
high levels of expression of a chimeric RNA containing bic exon 2.
Interestingly, bic lacked an extensive open reading frame, implying that it
may function through its RNA. Computer analysis of RNA from small exon 2 of
bic predicted extensive double-stranded structures, including a highly
ordered RNA duplex between nucleotides 316 and 461. The possible role of
bic in cell growth and differentiation is discussed in view of the emerging
evidence that untranslated RNAs play a role in growth control.
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology
bic, a novel gene activated by proviral insertions in avian leukosis virus-induced lymphomas, is likely to function through its noncoding RNA
Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA. wtam@mail.med.cornell.edu
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