HEMIZYGOSITY OF THE MAX GENE LOCUS IN HL60 CELLS

The oncogenic activity of c-MYC is well known, and genetic aberrations in this locus are associated with a variety of human neoplasms. Becau se the encoded MYC protein has transcriptional activity only when dime rized with MAX, it is possible that mutations of MAX also could have p henotypic consequences. We have now found, by fluorescence in situ hyb ridization and quantified Southern blot analyses, that the MAX gene ha s been reduced to hemizygosity in HL60 cells. Although the sequence of the coding region of the remaining allele of the MAX gene is not muta ted, this reduction in gene dosage may be the cause of a lower abundan ce of MAX protein in these cells that could result in an imbalance in the complex transcription factor network in which MAX has a pivotal ro le. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1998.