Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA for a novel phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-responsive gene that is highly expressed in an adult T-cell leukemia cell line.

To identify gene products that might be involved in leukemogenesis of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), we constructed a cDNA library from an ATL tumor cell line named IKD. By differential plaque hybridization using [32P]cDNAs of poly(A)+ RNA from IKD cells and a human T-lymphotropic virus type I-infected T-cell line (C91/PL) as probes and RNA blot analysis, we obtained a single cDNA clone of a gene that is highly expressed in IKD cells. Expression of this gene was also detected in fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells of several ATL patients but not in those of healthy donors. Sequence analysis showed that the cDNA was that of a previously undescribed gene. On structural analysis of the cDNA (1,897 base pairs), a short open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 54 amino acid residues was found. Exposure of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, a T-cell lymphoma cell line (Jurkat), and quiescent human embryonic lung cells to phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate resulted in rapid, transient expression of 2.0-kilobase mRNA of this gene. This induction of the gene was not inhibited by an inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide. From these findings, we suggest that this gene, named APR, is a member of the cellular immediate-early-response genes.