Recombinant plasmids containing v- myb′ (803 bp fragment of the 3′ end of v- myb) were constructed to induce sense or antisense v- myb′ RNA expression with dexamethasone in human cells. These plasmids were used as a tool for the investigation of the role of c- myb gene in human leukemia cell proliferation and differentiation. They were transfected by electroporation into the K562 human leukemia cell line derived from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blastic crisis. After induction of transcription by dexamethasone, the plasmid with antisense v- myb′ repressed the expression of p75 c- myb from the endogenous c- myb gene of K562 cells. It also reduced the proliferation rate of K562 cells to 50% of the control level, and induced these K562 cells to express the myelomonocytic differentiation cell surface marker CD13 and increased NBT reducing activity. The plasmid with sense v- myb′ did not have an effect on p75 c- myb expression, the proliferation of K562 cells or the expression of myelomonocytic differentiation phenotypes. These observations suggest that antisense v- myb′ RNA represses p75 c- myb expression and that a decrease of p75 c- myb suppresses K562 cell proliferation and induces its differentiation towards the myelomonocytic lineage.
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