The cellular myb oncogene is amplified, rearranged and activated in human glioblastoma cell lines.

The human c-myb gene which encodes a DNA binding protein and which is rarely amplified in neoplastic cells was found to be altered in four human glioblastoma cell lines. It exists in multiple copies in 2 out of 4 cases studied. The degree of amplification as determined by densitometry was about 10-fold, a rearrangement within the coding region and an enhanced gene activity of c-myb were noted. The observation of c-myb oncogene amplification and activity in glioblastoma cell lines presents the first report of this effect in human brain tumor cells.