The major bcr-abl fusion gene is presently seen as the hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and presumably as the cause of its development. Accordingly, long-term disappearance of bcr-abl after intensive therapy is considered to be a probable cure of CML. The nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) provides a powerful tool for minimal residual CML detection. The RT-PCR was optimized by (1) increasing the amount of total RNA involved in the reverse transcription reaction to correspond to total RNA extracted from 10(8) cells, (2) using a specific abl primer in this reverse reaction, and (3) reamplifying 10% of the RT-PCR product in nested amplification. This optimized RT-PCR permitted us to detect up to 1 copy of RNA bcr-abl synthesised in vitro, mixed with yeast RNA in an equivalent quantity to 10(8) white blood cells (WBCs). Using this highly sensitive RT-PCR during the follow-up of CML patients, a signal was unexpectedly found in healthy controls. Therefore, a systematic study of the possible expression of bcr-abl RNA in the WBCs of healthy adults and children and in umbilical cord blood was undertaken. It showed the presence of bcr-abl transcript in the blood of 22 of 73 healthy adults and in the blood of 1 of 22 children but not in 22 samples of umbilical cord blood.

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Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production by macrophages plays an important role in the host response to infection. TNF-ax gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages is predominantly regulated at the translational level. A key element in this regulation is an AU-rich (AUR) sequence located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of TNF mRNA. In unstimulated macrophages, the translation of TNF mRNA is inhibited via this AUR sequence. Upon stimulation with LPS, this repression is overcome and translation occurs. In this study, we attempted to identify cellular proteins that interact with the AUR sequence and thereby regulate TNF mRNA translation. Materials and Methods: RNA probes corresponding to portions of TNF mRNA 3' UTR were synthesized. These labeled RNAs were incubated with cytoplasmic extracts of either unstimulated or lipopolysaccharides (LPS)stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The RNA/protein complexes formed were analyzed by gel retardation. Ultraviolet (UV) cross-linking experiments were performed to determine the molecular weight of the proteins involved in the complexes. Results: TNF mRNA AUR sequence formed two complexes (1 and 2) of distinct electrophoretic mobilities.While the formation of complex 1 was independent of the activation state of the macrophages from which the extracts were obtained, complex 2 was detected only using cytoplasmic extracts from LPS-stimulated macrophages. Upon UV cross-linking, two proteins, of 50 and 80 kD, respectively, were capable of binding the UAR sequence. The 50-kD protein is likely to be part of the LPS-inducible complex 2, since its binding ability was enhanced upon LPS stimulation. Interestingly, complex 2 formation was also triggered by Sendai virus infection, another potent activator of TNF mRNA translation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. In contrast, complex 2 was not detected with cytoplasmic extracts obtained from B and T cell lines which are unable to produce TNF in response to LPS. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation is required for LPS-induced TNF mRNA translation. Remarkably, the protein tyrosine phosphorylation inhibitor herbimycin A abolished LPS-induced complex 2 formation. Complex 2 was already detectable after 0.5 hr of LPS treatment and was triggered by a minimal LPS dose of 10 pg/mnl. Conclusions: The tight correlation between TNF production and the formation of an LPS-inducible cytoplasmic complex suggests that this complex plays a role in the translational regulation of TNF mRNA.

The major bcr-abl fusion gene is presently seen as the hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and presumably as the cause of its development. Accordingly, long-term disappearance of bcr-abl after intensive therapy is considered to be a probable cure of CML. The nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) provides a powerful tool for minimal residual CML detection. The RT-PCR was optimized by (1) increasing the amount of total RNA involved in the reverse transcription reaction to correspond to total RNA extracted from 10(8) cells, (2) using a specific abl primer in this reverse reaction, and (3) reamplifying 10% of the RT-PCR product in nested amplification. This optimized RT-PCR permitted us to detect up to 1 copy of RNA bcr-abl synthesised in vitro, mixed with yeast RNA in an equivalent quantity to 10(8) white blood cells (WBCs). Using this highly sensitive RT-PCR during the follow-up of CML patients, a signal was unexpectedly found in healthy controls. Therefore, a systematic study of the possible expression of bcr-abl RNA in the WBCs of healthy adults and children and in umbilical cord blood was undertaken. It showed the presence of bcr-abl transcript in the blood of 22 of 73 healthy adults and in the blood of 1 of 22 children but not in 22 samples of umbilical cord blood.

No abstract