Expression of protooncogenes during lymphocyte activation by growth factors.

Effects of growth factors of non-immune origin including somatotropin (ST) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on the expression of the proteins encoded by c-fos, c-myc, c-fun, and c-ets family protooncogenes were studied for the first time. The dynamics of the oncoprotein expression in activated CD(3+)-lymphocytes was investigated by immunoblotting. The accumulation of the Fos and Myc proteins was enhanced in T-lymphocytes treated with ST, PDGF, or phytohemagglutinin; the accumulation was maximum at 30-60 min and decreased in 2 h; the data indicate that the oncoproteins participate in the early lymphocyte activation by various growth factors. The Jun protein appears only in 3 h after the onset of lymphocyte activation; this suggests independent participation of Fos in the early stages of lymphocyte activation prior to the appearance of Jun, preceding the joint action of Fos and Jun within the AP-1 transcription complex. The products of the c-ets family are differentially activated by the studied growth factors. Resting lymphocytes actively accumulate the Ets-1 protein; ST and PDGF activation decreases Ets-1 expression in 2 h. The Ets-2 protein is not detected in resting cells and PDGF-activated lymphocytes, whereas lymphocyte activation by ST is associated with accumulation of Ets-2. The data suggest that the product of the c-ets-1 gene is more important in the regulation of resting cells and the product of the c-ets-2 gene is important during activation of lymphocytes by ST. The results indicate that activation of lymphocytes with growth factors of non-immune origin is mediated by several signal transduction pathways.