c-Myb in Blood Cell Development

    The development of the major blood cell lineages is shown. c-Myb is expressed at high levels in the immature cells of all lineages and this expression is extinguished as differentiation proceeds. The v-Myb protein of AMV blocks the differentiation of macrophage precursors, causing a monoblastic leukemia (1). The Gag-Myb-Ets fusion protein of the E26 leukemia virus can transform multipotential precursor cells in culture and causes erythroleukemia in animals. Insertional mutagenesis of the c-Myb locus by the avian leukosis viruses (ALV) can cause a B cell malignancy. Furthermore, homozygous disruption of the c-Myb gene in the laboratory mouse results in a failure of fetal blood cell development (2). In addition, studies with chimeric mice have implicated c-Myb in lymphocyte development (3).

1. Lipsick and Wang, Oncogene 18: 3047-55 (1999). [pdf].

2. Mucenski, McLain, Kier, Swerdlow, Schreiner, Miller, Pietryga, Scott, and Potter, Cell 65: 677-89 (1991).

3. Allen, Bender, and Siu, Genes Dev. 13:1073-8 (1999).