Functional domains of c-Myc involved in the commitment and differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells.

In the early event of the induction of mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cell differentiation, c-myc mRNA levels show a drastic change. The elevated expression of a transfected c-myc gene inhibits the commitment and differentiation of MEL cell transformants. In the present work, we have introduced human c-myc mutants into MEL cells under the inducible promoter to define the functional domains of c-Myc involved in erythroid differentiation. The c-Myc domains necessary for commitment and differentiation are not co-localized; almost entire regions are required for inhibition of commitment, whereas domains II and IV that are essential for co-transforming activity with ras are required for inhibition of differentiation. Interestingly, mutants that delete domains for c-Myc dimerization motifs enhanced differentiation. These results suggest that c-Myc may regulate commitment and differentiation by interacting with proteins through different domains.