Open AccessThe Type B Leukemogenic Virus Truncated Superantigen Is Dispensable for T-Cell Lymphomagenesis
Author(s) -
Farah Mustafa,
Sanchita Bhadra,
Dennis A. Johnston,
Mary M. Lozano,
Jaquelin P. Dudley
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.77.6.3866-3870.2003
Subject(s) - biology , long terminal repeat , superantigen , mouse mammary tumor virus , frameshift mutation , virology , virus , retrovirus , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , t cell , cancer research , mutation , immunology , immune system , genetics , gene expression
Type B leukemogenic virus (TBLV) is a variant of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) that causes T-cell lymphomas in mice. We have constructed a TBLV-MMTV hybrid, pHYB-TBLV, in which 756 bp of the C3H MMTV long terminal repeat (LTR) was replaced with 438 bp of the TBLV LTR. Intraperitoneal injection of pHYB-TBLV transfectants consistently resulted in T-cell lymphomas in 50% of injected weanling BALB/c mice with an average latency period of 5.7 (+/- 1.5) months. Transfectants of pHYB-TBLV containing a double-frameshift mutation in the truncated superantigen gene (sag) induced T-cell lymphomas with similar incidences, latency periods, and phenotypes, suggesting that cis-acting elements in the TBLV LTR determine disease specificity.