Loss of MicroRNA targets in the 3′ untranslated region as a mechanism of retroviral insertional activation of growth factor independence 1

MJ Dabrowska, K Dybkaer, HE Johnsen… - Journal of …, 2009 - Am Soc Microbiol
MJ Dabrowska, K Dybkaer, HE Johnsen, B Wang, M Wabl, FS Pedersen
Journal of virology, 2009Am Soc Microbiol
The non-oncogene-bearing retrovirus SL3-3 murine leukemia virus induces strictly T-cell
lymphomas with a mean latency of 2 to 4 months in mice of the NMRI-inbred (NMRI-i) strain.
By high-throughput sequencing of retroviral tags, we have identified the genomic region
carrying the transcriptional repressor and oncogene growth factor independence 1 (Gfi1) as
a frequent target for SL3-3 in the NMRI-i mouse genome. Twenty-four SL3-3 insertions were
identified within a 1-kb window of the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of the Gfi1 gene, a …
Abstract
The non-oncogene-bearing retrovirus SL3-3 murine leukemia virus induces strictly T-cell lymphomas with a mean latency of 2 to 4 months in mice of the NMRI-inbred (NMRI-i) strain. By high-throughput sequencing of retroviral tags, we have identified the genomic region carrying the transcriptional repressor and oncogene growth factor independence 1 (Gfi1) as a frequent target for SL3-3 in the NMRI-i mouse genome. Twenty-four SL3-3 insertions were identified within a 1-kb window of the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the Gfi1 gene, a clustering pattern unique for this lymphoma model. Expression analysis determined that the Gfi1 gene was transcriptionally activated by SL3-3 insertions, and an upregulation of Gfi1 protein expression was detected for tumors harboring insertions in the Gfi1 3′UTR. Here we provide data in support of a mechanism by which retroviral insertions in the Gfi1 3′UTR decouple microRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation.
American Society for Microbiology