Mast cells sensitive to v-H-ras transformation are hyperinducible for interleukin 3 expression and have lost tumor-suppressor activity.

Subcloning of interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent PB-3c mastocyte cells revealed two populations, of which only one is sensitive to oncogenic transformation by v-H-ras. The corresponding tumors produce IL-3 and grow in vitro in the absence of exogenous IL-3 [Nair, A.P.K., Diamantis, I.D., Conscience, J.F., Kindler, V., Hofer, P. & Moroni, Ch. (1989). Mol. Cell. Biol., 9, 1183-1190]. In the present investigation, IL-3 gene regulation was compared in ras transformable (rT) and ras nontransformable (rNT) lines. We report that upon expression of v-H-ras rT clones but not rNT clones express low levels of IL-3 mRNA as detected by reverse polymerase chain reaction. Treatment with ionomycin, a calcium ionophore, induced high levels of IL-3 expression only in ras-expressing rT clones. Somatic cell fusion between the rNT clone 20 and the IL-3-expressing mastocytoma line V2D1 led to down-regulation of IL-3 expression and to the requirement for exogenous IL-3 for in vitro growth and tumor suppression. In contrast, rT clone 15 lacked tumor-suppressor activity and failed to down-regulate IL-3 expression in somatic hybrids which grew in vitro without added IL-3. Our results indicate that IL-3 gene expression is a critical determinant for the generation of v-H-ras-induced mast cell tumors and show that disturbances in IL-3 gene regulation can be detected already at the premalignant level in v-H-ras transformation-sensitive cells.