Inactivation of p53 gene expression by an insertion of Moloney murine leukemia virus-like DNA sequences.

Analysis of Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed L12 cells which lack the p53 cellular encoded tumor antigen revealed alterations in the p53-specific genomic DNA sequences. The active p53 gene, usually contained in a 16-kilobase EcoRI DNA fragment of p53 producer cells, went through major alterations leading to the appearance of a substantially larger 28.0-kilobase p53-specific EcoRI fragment. Detailed restriction enzyme analysis, with genomic probes spanning throughout the whole active p53 gene, indicated that the L12 p53 altered gene contains all the exons and principal introns of the normal p53 16.0-kilobase gene. However, its structure was interrupted by the integration of a novel DNA segment into the noncoding intervening sequences of the first p53 intron. Analysis of the inserted sequences revealed close homology to Moloney murine leukemia virus. This Moloney leukemia murine virus-like particle resides in a 5' to 3' transcriptional orientation, similar to the p53 gene, permitting the transcription of aberrant fused mRNA molecules detected in these cells.