Identification and Characterization of the Protein Encoded by the Human N-myc Oncogene

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1986-05, Vol.232 (4751), p.768-772
• Main Authors: Slamon, Dennis J., Boone, Thomas C., Seeger, Robert C., Keith, Duane E., Chazin, Vicki, Lee, Hyun C., Souza, Lawrence M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cancer research; Carcinoma, Small Cell - metabolism; Cell lines; Cell nucleus; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Cellular immunity; Chromosome mapping; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics; HT29 cells; Immune Sera - immunology; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - metabolism; Lung Neoplasms - metabolism; Medical research; Molecular and cellular biology; myc genes; Neoplasm Proteins - genetics; Neoplasm Proteins - isolation & purification; Neoplasm Proteins - physiology; Nervous system diseases; Neuroblastoma; Neuroblastoma - metabolism; Neurons; Oncogenes; Oncology, Experimental; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - isolation & purification; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - physiology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; Proto-Oncogenes; Rabbits - immunology; Tumors
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.3008339

The human N-myc gene is related to the c-myc proto-oncogene, and has been shown to have transforming potential in vitro. Many studies have reported amplification of N-myc in human neuroblastoma and retinoblastoma cell lines. In primary tumors, amplification of the gene was found to correlate directly with behavior of the tumor. Specific restriction fragments of a partial complementary DNA clone of N-myc from LA-N-5 human neuroblastoma cells were placed into a bacterial expression vector for the purpose of producing antigens representative of the N-myc protein. Rabbits immunized with these antigens produced antisera that recognized a protein of 62-64 kilodaltons in neuroblastoma cells. By several criteria, this protein appears to be part of the same proto-oncogene family as the c-myc protein. Moreover, the antisera to fragments of this protein were capable of histochemically identifying malignant cells in clinical specimens.