# REGULATION AND FUNCTION OF THE C-MYC ONCOGENE

> **NIH NIH R01** · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · 1987 · $26,720

## Abstract

The activation of cellular oncogenes appears to play a central role in the
transformation of normal cells to a neoplastic phenotype.  The c-myc
oncogene has been implicated in a wide range of tumor cells, especially in
B cell neoplasia, and hence is particularly important to study in terms of
regulation and function.  We have recently found that, when linked to viral
promoters, the c-myc gene induces fibroblast cell lines to become
tumorigenic in nude mice.  This study will be extended to determine if
alteration of the c-myc promoter is required for oncogenic activation of
the gene, and if there is a threshold level of c-myc expression that is
necessary for tumorigenesis.  A second study will focus on the influence of
c-myc on the expression of other genes, in particular whether c-myc can
induce transcription from genes which lack enhancers.  A third study will
examine the effect of constitutive c-myc expression on the in vitro
differentiation of the human promyelocytic leukemia line, HL-60.  These
experiments will explore the relationship between activated cellular
oncogenes and their block in differentiation and continued proliferation of
tumor cells.  Finally, the biological activity of c-myc retrovirus will be
studied, especially the transforming potential in vivo and the effect on
primary cells in vitro.  A novel DHFR-myc retrovirus that can be amplified
in "normal" cells will also be constructed to attempt to identify cellular
genes that are influenced by overexpression of c-myc.  All of these studies
are designed to further our understanding of the c-myc oncogene in cell
transformation.  (X)

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3178666
- **Project number:** 5R01CA039550-03
- **Recipient organization:** PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NJ1YPQXQG7U5
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL David COLE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $26,720
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-05-01 → 1987-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3178666

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3178666, REGULATION AND FUNCTION OF THE C-MYC ONCOGENE (5R01CA039550-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3178666. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*