Engineered Oncogene Activation by Somatic Hypermutation Results in a Faithful Mouse Model of MGUS/Multiple Myeloma.

The time in cellular differentiation at which the expression of an oncogene is dysregulated is thought to determine the phenotype of the resulting neoplasia. We tested this assumption in C57BL6/J transgenic mice expressing an HA-tagged c-myc oncogene in B cells under the control of kappa light chain regulatory elements. Two transgenes were engineered that differed by only one nucleotide.

The first set of mice carries a wild type HA-MYC transgene, develops pro-B cell tumors, and succumbs rapidly to pronounced lymphosplenomegaly.

In the second set of mice, a point mutation in the HA-tag portion of the transgene creates a stop codon that abrogates HA-MYC translation. This stop codon was engineered to be a hotspot for somatic hypermutation. Thus sporadically, in a germinal center B cell, somatic hypermutation may revert the stop codon, allowing translation of HA-MYC.

In two independently derived lines, mice spontaneously develop monoclonal gammopathies (50% incidence at 30 weeks (n=35), 80% at 40 weeks (n=35)). Serum protein electrophoresis detects M-spikes that increase in intensity over time, and 6 out of 7 cases tested so far were of IgG1 isotype. Unlike other mouse models of plasma cell neoplasia, no lymphosplenomegaly nor ascites were detected. In analogy to human multiple myeloma, that is a disease of isotype-switched and hypermutated cells homing to the bone, large populations of plasma cells were found in the bone marrow. Bone marrow (but not spleen) lysates reacted for HA and human MYC proteins by western blot and immunohistochemistry, thus indicating that reversion of the stop codon occurred. Remarkably, in two young mice, monoclonal spikes appeared 2 weeks after vaccination with NP-CGG. These spikes were sustained and the monoclonal protein was reactive to the NP antigen.

Together, comparison of the two sets of mice demonstrates that activation of the same transgene at distinct B cell developmental stages results in dramatically different tumor phenotypes. In addition, and opposite to most engineered mice, we have created a system where the oncogene is turned on sporadically, as occurs in the human disease. Furthermore, we have developed a model that faithfully reproduces important clinical aspects of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and its progression to multiple myeloma. This model will be useful to develop immunologic and chemoterapeutic approaches.