Introduction of new genetic material into human myeloid leukemic blast stem cells by retroviral infection.

An amphotropic retroviral vector containing the bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase gene (neo) was used to infect blast cells from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. The infected cells acquired a G418-resistant phenotype that was stable as measured in a clonogenic assay and in long-term suspension culture. Thus, gene transfer into stem cells was accomplished by this procedure. This approach for manipulating gene expression in blast stem cells provides a means to assess the roles of a variety of genes in self-renewal, differentiation, and leukemogenesis.