Max deletion destabilizes MYC protein and abrogates Eμ-Myc lymphomagenesis

Although MAX is widely regarded as an obligate dimerization partner for MYC, its function in normal development and neoplasia is not well defined. We show that B-cell specific deletion of Max has a surprisingly modest effect on B-cell development but completely abrogates E{micro}-Myc driven lymphomagenesis. In both contexts, MAX loss leads to a significant reduction in MYC protein levels. This outcome is associated with the downregulation of numerous transcriptional targets of MAX including a subset that regulate MYC stability. Reduction in MYC protein levels is also observed in multiple cell lines treated with a MYC-MAX dimerization inhibitor. Our work uncovers a layer of Myc autoregulation critical for lymphomagenesis yet partly dispensable for normal lymphoid development.