Abstract
THE bcl-2 proto-oncogene is activated by translocation in a variety of B-lymphoid tumours and synergizes with the c-myc oncogene in tumour progression1. The mechanism of synergy is unclear but bcl-2 expression inhibits apoptosis2–6, a property presumably pertinent to its proto-oncogenic mode of action4. We have shown that the c-myc gene is a potent inducer of apoptosis, in addition to its established role in mitogenesis7. Here we show that expression of the bcl-2 protein, Bcl-2, specifically abrogates c-mvoinduced apoptosis without affecting the c-myc mitogenic function. This provides a novel mechanism for oncogene cooperation, of potential importance both in carcinogenesis and in the evolution of drug resistance in tumours.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Strasser, A., Harris, A. W., Bath, M. L. & Cory, S. Nature 348, 331–333 (1990).
Vaux, D. L., Cory, S. & Adams, J. M. Nature 335, 440–442 (1988).
Hockenbery, D., Nunez, G., Milliman, C., Schreiber, R. D. & Korsmeyer, S. J. Nature 348, 334–336 (1990).
McDonnell, T. J. & Korsmeyer, S. J. Nature 349, 254–256 (1991).
Sentman, C. L., Shutter, J. R., Hockenbery, D., Kanagawa, O. & Korsmeyer, S. J. Cell 67, 879–888 (1991).
Strasser, A., Harris, A. W. & Cory, S. Cell 67, 889–899 (1991).
Evan, G. I. et al. Cell 63, 119–125 (1992).
Eilers, M., Picard, D., Yamamoto, K. R. & Bishop, M. J. Nature 340, 66–68 (1989).
Eilers, M., Schirm, S. & Bishop, J. M. EMBO J. 10, 133–141 (1991).
Askew, D., Ashmun, R., Simmons, B. & Cleveland, J. Oncogene 6, 1915–1922 (1991).
Pezzella, F. et al. Am. J. Path. 137, 225–232 (1990).
Wyllie, A. H. J. Path. 153, 313–316 (1987).
Bursch, W., Kleine, L. & Tenniswood, M. Biochem. Cell Biol. 68, 1071–1074 (1990).
Lennon, S. V., Martin, S. J. & Cotter, T. G. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 18, 343–345 (1990).
Spencer, C. A. & Groudine, M. Adv. Cancer Res. 56, 1–48 (1991).
Liu, L. F. A. Rev. Biochem. 58, 351–375 (1989).
Land, H., Parada, L. F. & Weinberg, R. A. Nature 304, 596–602 (1983).
Reed, J. C., Haldar, S., Croce, C. M. & Cuddy, M. P. Molec. cell. Biol. 10, 4370–4374 (1990).
Borst, P. Acta oncol. 30, 87–105 (1991).
Morgenstern, J. P. & Land, H. Nucleic Acids Res. 18, 3587–3596 (1990).
Morgenstern, J. & Land, H. in Methods in Molecular Biology (ed. Murray, E.) 181–205 (Humana, Clifton, New Jersey, 1991).
Evan, G. I. & Hancock, D. C. Cell 43, 253–261 (1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fanidi, A., Harrington, E. & Evan, G. Cooperative interaction between c-myc and bcl-2 proto-oncogenes. Nature 359, 554–556 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/359554a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/359554a0
This article is cited by
-
Dual targeting of the DNA damage response pathway and BCL-2 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Leukemia (2022)
-
Human herpesvirus 8-negative effusion-based large B-cell lymphoma: a distinct entity with unique clinicopathologic characteristics
Modern Pathology (2022)
-
MYC sensitises cells to apoptosis by driving energetic demand
Nature Communications (2022)
-
Tissue-specific tumorigenesis: context matters
Nature Reviews Cancer (2017)
-
A fate worse than death: apoptosis as an oncogenic process
Nature Reviews Cancer (2016)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.