Müller R, Tremblay J M, Adamson E D, Verma I M
Nature. 1983;304(5925):454-6. doi: 10.1038/304454a0.
Cellular genes containing nucleotide sequences homologous to retroviral oncogenes (v-onc) have been identified in the genomes of a variety of species of both the vertebrate and invertebrate phyla. Expression of such genes, termed c-onc genes, has been shown to be tissue-specific in chickens and mice and to be modulated during murine development and differentiation of human haematopoietic cells. We report here that the level of the c-fos gene transcripts is 100-fold greater in human term fetal membranes than in other normal human tissues and cells. These levels of c-fos expression in human amniotic and chorionic cells are close to the level of v-fos expression that results in the induction of osteosarcomas in mice and transformation of fibroblasts in vitro. This observation suggests that the induction of neoplastic transformation by the FBJ murine osteosarcoma virus may require the expression of the fos gene product at high levels in an inappropriate cell type. In contrast, the human c-fms gene is expressed at high levels specifically in term placenta and trophoblastic cells. The tissue and cell type-specific patterns of c-fos and c-fms expression suggest that the physiological function of the c-fos and c-fms encoded proteins may be associated with those embryo-derived cells whose primary functions are protection and nourishment of the human fetus.
在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物门的多种物种基因组中，已鉴定出含有与逆转录病毒癌基因（v-onc）同源核苷酸序列的细胞基因。这类基因被称为c-onc基因，其表达在鸡和小鼠中具有组织特异性，并且在小鼠发育以及人类造血细胞分化过程中受到调控。我们在此报告，人类足月胎膜中c-fos基因转录本水平比其他正常人体组织和细胞中的水平高100倍。人羊膜和绒毛膜细胞中c-fos的这些表达水平接近v-fos的表达水平，后者在小鼠中可诱导骨肉瘤，在体外可使成纤维细胞转化。这一观察结果表明，FBJ小鼠骨肉瘤病毒诱导肿瘤转化可能需要在不适当的细胞类型中高水平表达fos基因产物。相反，人类c-fms基因在足月胎盘和滋养层细胞中特异性高水平表达。c-fos和c-fms表达的组织和细胞类型特异性模式表明，c-fos和c-fms编码蛋白的生理功能可能与那些主要功能是保护和滋养人类胎儿的胚胎来源细胞有关。
