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A highly leukemogenic radiation leukemia virus isolate is a thymotropic, immunosuppressive retrovirus with a unique rna structure
Author(s) -
David Ya'acob Ben,
Kotler Moshe,
Yefenof Eitan
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910390415
Subject(s) - virology , retrovirus , leukemia , virus , biology , rna , oncovirus , immunology , gene , genetics
Abstract Clones of N‐, B‐ and NB‐fibrotropic viruses were isolated from weakly (D‐RadLV) and strongly (A‐RadLV) leukomogenic RadLV preparations. A highly leukemogenic, thymotropic virus (TV) was isolated by ex ‐ vivo infection of thymocytes with A‐RadLV. This virus could not be isolated from D‐RadLV. Two‐dimensional fingerprint analysis suggested that TV recombines unique RNA sequences with RNA genomic material derived from a B‐tropic endogenous virus. C57BL/6 (B6) mice injected with B‐ or NB‐fibrotropic clones, but not with TV or N‐tropic viral clones, developed reactive T lymphocytes (Tr), capable of differentiating into anti‐tumor cytotoxic cells. The N‐tropic virus isolates were non‐immunogenic in B6 mice whereas the TV isolate induced suppressor T lymphocytes (Ts) that abrogated a potential Tr response. These results suggest that emergence of highly leukemogenic RadLV involves activation of endogenous fibrotropic virus which is immunogenic in its natural host strain (B6). This virus can further recombine with other retroviral genetic sequences, resulting in a suppressogenic and thymotropic, highly leukemogenic virus.