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Title: New class of leukemogenic ecotropic recombinant murine leukemia virus isolated from radiation-induced thymomas of C57BL/6 mice

Journal Article · · J. Virol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6253478

We previously reported the establishment of several lymphoid cell lines from X-ray-induced thymomas of C57BL/Ka mice, and all, except one, produce retroviruses. Biological characterization of five of these new primary radiation leukemia viruses (RadLVs) indicated that they had a B-tropic, fibrotropic, and ecotropic host range and were leukemogenic when reinjected into C57BL/Ka newborn mice. The leukemogenic potential of one isolate (G/sub 6/T/sub 2/) was further assessed and shown to be retained after prolonged passaging on fibroblasts in vitro. Restriction endonuclease analysis of the DNA of four of our new RadLV isolates (G/sub 6/T/sub 2/, Ti-7, Ti-8, and Ti-9) revealed that G/sub 6/T/sub 2/ and Ti-7 murine leukemia virus (MuLV) genomes had identical restriction maps, whereas Ti-8 and Ti-9 genomes were different from each other and from the G/sub 6/T/sub 2/ and Ti-7 genomes. The physical maps of these genomes were similar to that of known ecotropic MuLV genomes (including the C57BL/Ka endogenous ecotropic MuLV) within their long terminal repeats, env, the right portion of pol, and the left portion of gag. However, a region covering the end of gag and the beginning of pol was different and showed several similarities with xenotropic MuLV genomes of BALB/c, AKR, and C58 mice previously mapped. Our results suggest that these primary RadLV genomes are recombinants between the parental ecotropic MuLV genome and a nonecotropic (xenotropic) sequence. To further study the leukemic potential of these RadLVs, the genome of one of them (G/sub 6/T/sub 2/) was cloned in Charon 21A as an infectious molecule.

OSTI ID:
6253478
Journal Information:
J. Virol.; (United States), Vol. 45:2
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English