Cell division is required for expression of v-myc transforming properties in chicken embryonic neuroretina cells.

We previously reported that avian retroviruses carrying the v-myc oncogene alone fail to induce sustained proliferation and transformation of non-dividing chicken neuroretina (CNR) cells from 7-day-old embryos. However, v-myc is capable of transforming CNR cells which have been induced to multiply by the v-mil oncogene. These results suggest that entry into the cell cycle is required for the transformation of CNR cells by v-myc. To further assess the role of cell division, we investigated the transforming properties of v-myc in CNR cells conditionally induced to divide by the v-src gene or by modified culture conditions. We show that v-myc transforms CNR cells infected with Rous sarcoma virus mutants which induce cell proliferation in the absence of transformation. Expression of these transforming properties in CNR cells infected with temperature-sensitive v-src mutants depends on the continuous mitogenic activity of p60v-src. We also report that v-myc is able to transform CNR cells and to increase their growth potential under culture conditions which allow transient multiplication of uninfected cells. However, these v-myc-transformed cells rapidly cease to divide when returned to culture conditions that restrict the growth of normal cells. Taken together, these results indicate that transformation of CNR cells by the v-myc oncogene continuously depends on their ability to enter the cell cycle.