%0 Journal Article
%T NOV story: the way to CCN3
%A Bernard Perbal
%J Cell Communication and Signaling
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1478-811x-4-3
%X In this manuscript I am presenting milestones in our discovery of NOV (CCN3), a founding member the CCN family of regulatory proteins [1], now known to be composed of six members that play critical roles in normal fundamental biological processes including angiogenesis, wound repair, regulation of cell spreading proliferation and survival [2,3]. Alterations in the expression of CCN genes are also associated with cancerogenesis [4,5].In my opinion, the £¿ nov story £¿ finds its roots in 1982 with the molecular cloning of a MAV-1(N) (myeloblastosis associated virus type 1) proviral genome that was shown to specifically induce nephroblastomas when injected into day-old chickens [6,7]. As a fellow on leave from the CNRS at UCLA in the laboratory of Pr. M. Baluda, I had cloned both the v-myb oncogene [8] and c-myb proto-oncogene [9] and I became interested in the molecular basis for MAV-induced nephroblastomas, which resemble the Wilms' tumors [10]. The MAV strains that were used at this time were inducing nephroblastomas, lymphoid leukosis and osteopetrosis [11]. Because these strains were at best, plaque purified, it was not easy to assess the biological properties of MAV.Back at that time, the idea prevailed that retroviruses induced tumors by inserting in the vicinity of cellular proto-oncogenes. Pioneer work of Hayward, Astrin and collaborators had opened the road for my interest in identifying the integration sites of MAV.After my return to France, M. Brisac who was a student in my laboratory was given the task to characterize the MAV junction fragments in tumor DNA, with the help of Dr. G. Dambrine at the INRA who provided animal facilities and expertise in chicken pathology. Several tumors were obtained and analyzed both at the histological level by Dr. G. Plassiart and Pr. M. Wyers at the Ecole V¨¦t¨¦rinaire de Nantes, and at the molecular level in my laboratory. Even though I had previously cloned a U3-specific probe for MAV, these studies were seriously complicate
%U http://www.biosignaling.com/content/4/1/3