Constitutive overexpression of a 89 kDa heat shock protein gene in the HBL100 human mammary cell line converted to a tumorigenic phenotype by the EJ/T24 Harvey-ras oncogene.

The non tumorigenic human mammary cell line HBL100 has been transformed by the EJ/T24 human bladder carcinoma Harvey(Ha)-ras oncogene. Six cell lines were established from transformed colonies. They all expressed a high level of the ras oncogene and were tumorigenic in athymic nude mice. During an in vivo passage in animals, tumour cells presenting a growth advantage were selected, and some of the tumours revealed an amplification of the transfected ras sequences. Using this model of human cell transformation, we have isolated a cDNA clone corresponding to a heat shock protein gene (hsp89 alpha). This gene, normally transcribed at a higher rate in response to serum stimulation, was found to be constitutively overexpressed in ras-transformed HBL100 cells. In contrast, a closely related hsp gene (hsp89 beta), remained sensitive to serum stimulation, in both untransformed and ras-transformed HBL100 cells. Thus, the regulation of the expression of the hsp89 genes, upon serum stimulation, involves ras-dependent and ras-independent pathways. Constitutive overexpression of the murine homolog of the hsp89 alpha was observed in NIH3T3 cells transformed by the three ras oncogenes, but not with some other oncogenes. Therefore, alteration of the hsp89 alpha gene expression is not a general characteristic of transformed cells, but seems to be linked to ras transformation.