Induction of sequence-specific DNA-binding factors by erythropoietin and the spleen focus-forming virus

The signal transduction mechanism of erythropoietin (Epo), which regulates growth and differentiation of erythroid cells, is still unclear. Recent studies showing the activation by various ligands of a group of proteins called Stat (signal transducers and activators of transcription) proteins raised the possibility that such proteins may also be involved in the Epo signal transduction pathway. In this report, we show that Epo induces factors that specifically bind to the sis-inducible element and the gamma response region of the Fc gamma receptor factor I gene in the Epo-dependent mouse erythroleukemia cell line HCD-57. These factors contain phosphotyrosine and antibodies against Stat1 and Stat3 proteins reacted with them. In HCD-57 cells infected with Friend spleen focus-forming virus, which now grow in an Epo-independent manner, the DNA-binding factors were constitutively activated even in the absence of Epo. These results suggest that the factors induced by Epo contain components identical or related to known Stat proteins. It is also suggested that continuous activation of these DNA-binding factors may be responsible for the ability of spleen focus- forming virus to abrogate the Epo-dependence of HCD-57 cells and cause erythroleukemia in susceptible mice.