A transcriptional repressor TEL belongs to the ETS family transcription factors and acts as a tumor suppressor. We identified five alternatively spliced TEL isoforms generated possibly through exon skipping mechanisms, by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Among them, we examined molecular and biological functions of a DeltaETS-TEL isoform (TEL-f). This isoform abrogated specific DNA-binding capacity to and trans-repressional ability through the ETS-binding site. Regardless, it showed dominant-negative effects over wild-type-TEL (TEL-a)-mediated transcriptional repression partly through sequestration of TEL-a from nucleus to cytoplasm. Moreover, TEL-f dominantly interfered with TEL-a-mediated erythroid differentiation in MEL cells and growth suppression in NIH3T3 cells. Interestingly, TEL isoforms without the entire (Delta exons 6 + 7-TEL) or a part (Delta exon 7-TEL) of ETS domain were expressed more frequently in myelodysplastic syndrome-derived leukemia than in myelodysplastic syndrome before transformation. This observation suggests that accumulation of the dominant-negative DeltaETS-TEL molecules could be a related phenomenon to leukemic progression of myelodysplastic syndrome. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.