HETEROGENEOUS EXPRESSION OF PROTOONCOGENES IN HODGKINS-DISEASE DERIVED CELL-LINES

The expression of 20 proto‐oncogenes was analysed by Northern blotting in four cell lines derived from patients with Hodgkin's disease (L428, L540, CO and DEV) and compared to lymphoid and myeloid leukemia cell lines and normal hematopoietic cells. Expression of the proto‐oncogenes c‐myc, p53, c‐jun, pim‐1, lck, c‐syn, c‐raf and N‐ras were detected in Hodgkin's disease derived cell lines and in normal hematopoietic cells. Transcripts of the proto‐oncogene c‐met were detected in the Hodgkin's derived cell lines L428 and L540 but not in the lymphoid or myeloid leukemia cell lines or in tonsil cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and granulocytes. Expression of the proto‐oncogenes N‐myc and lck were observed in the Hodgkin's derived cell line CO which express T cell receptor genes and in the T cell lines JM and CEM. L428 cells and CO cells expressed aberrant transcripts of the c‐fes proto‐oncogene. Thus Hodgkin's disease derived cell lines are heterogenous in their expression pattern of proto‐oncogenes, expressing normal and aberrant transcripts of proto‐oncogenes which are not found in untransformed hematopoietic cells. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd