Expression data from human primary fibroblasts (IMR90) stably expressing H-RasV12 and shRNA against ERK2 or a non-targeting shRNA

Oncogenic ras activates several signaling pathways that cooperate in cell transformation. They include the ERK/MAP kinase pathway, the PI3K pathway and the Ral pathway among others. Surprisingly, in primary human fibroblasts, oncogenic ras expression induces senescence not transformation, but upon knockdown of ERK2 senescence is bypassed and transformation is stimulated. We used microarrays to characterize the gene expression programme of cells transformed by oncogenic ras, telomerase and knockdown of the ERK2 kinase. Primary human fibroblasts were co-infected with a retroviral vector that expresses oncogenic ras and either a control shRNA or an shRNA against ERK2. Cells with oncogenic ras and shRNA control entered senescence while cells with oncogenic ras and shRNA ERK2 bypassed senescence and underwent malignant transformation. Triplicates of these populations were used to purify total RNA, which we sent to Genome Quebec service for hybridization with Affymetrix microarrays.