Differentiation and oncogenesis: phenotypically distinct lens tumors in transgenic mice.

We report on two lines of transgenic mice that express a murine alpha A-crystallin/SV40 tumor antigen fusion gene in the eye lens. The alpha T1 line develops fast growing, poorly differentiated lens tumors, whereas the alpha T2 line produces lens tumors that are slow growing and well differentiated. There is a striking difference between these two lines in the temporal and spatial patterns of tumor antigen expression during initial lens development. In the alpha T1 line, the transgene is expressed very early in development in most lens cells, and no primary fiber differentiation takes place. In the alpha T2 line, transgene expression occurs after primary fiber formation has been initiated, and is restricted to differentiating fiber cells. The anterior epithelium from both alpha T lines undergoes normal development and remains morphologically normal until after birth, although in alpha T1 mice, these anterior cells produce considerable amounts of SV40 tumor antigens. This suggests that the state of differentiation of the lens cell plays an important role in its response to oncogene products.