Prevention of murine sarcoma virus oncogenesis in offspring of immunized female mice

BALB/c mice born to and nursed by females immunized against MSV-M showed a reduced tumour incidence and a high tumour regression rate following MSV-M injection at 7-14 days of age. Females immunized long before mating could also confer protection to their offspring whereas females immunized after parturition could not. A reduced number of tumours was observed in 3 out of 14 MSV-M injected litters whose mothers had been previously exposed to the virus while nursing infected offspring. Sera from suckling mice born to and nursed by immunized mothers contained MSV-M neutralizing antibody as shown by an in vitro focus reduction assay. Cell-free extracts from mice which developed leukaemia after MSV-M inoculation were tested for oncogenic activity in 1-week old mice. Out of 6 extracts, 4 induced typical MSV-M tumours and 2 caused leukaemias.     

Inhibition of murine RNA tumor virus replication and oncogenesis by chloroquine

The effects of 7-chloro-4-(4-diethylamino-l-methylbutylamino) quinoline diphos-phate (chloroquine) on marine RNA oncogenic virus infection and replication were studied in cell culture and in vivo. Replication ofMoloney leukemia virus in cell culture was inhibited by approximately 75% at a drug concentration of 1 s?/ml. This concentration had no effect on cellular DNA or RNA synthesis or on cell division. Chloroquine at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight given 15 min after injection of Moloney murine sarcoma virus prevented tumor development in newborn mice; similar treatment inhibited the induction of splenomegaly by Rauscher leukemia virus in adult mice. The effect of the drug is not exerted on the virus particle itself, since incubation of the virus with chloroquine for 30 min prior to infection did not decrease its oncogenicity. Presumably, the drug affects one or more events in virus replication.     

Enhancement by asbestos of oncogenesis by Moloney murine sarcoma virus in CBA mice.

Five micrograms of finely ground crocidolite asbestos (UICC standard sample) were injected intraperitoneally into 3-week-old CBA mice, together with 10(5) FFU of Moloney murine sarcoma virus. Altogether 44 out of 61 mice (72.1%) so treated developed palpable intraperitoneal tumours, and half of these died of such tumours within 100 days. The same amount of quartz and carbon similarly administered gave lower tumour incidences, namely, 19.4% (3.2% fatal) and 11.9% (1.5% fatal) respectively. Only 1 out of 59 mice inoculated with the virus alone developed a palpable intraperitoneal tumour, and this regressed spontaneously within 10 days of its first appearance. No tumours were encountered in mice treated with either asbestos, quartz or carbon alone. All the neoplasms had the appearance, under the light microscope, of anaplastic sarcomas. Most of them were confined to the serosal surface of the abdominal cavity, although invasion of underlying tissues was observed in some of the animals that died. Electron microscopical examination of tumours revealed the presence of C-type particles budding off from cellular surface. Some neoplastic cells showed characteristic features of mesothelial lining cells. The role of milky spots (taches laiteuses) in oncogenesis by asbestos and virus, especially in the induction of mesothelioma, is discussed.     

Genetic control of oncogenesis by murine sarcoma virus Moloney pseudotype. II. A dominant epistatic susceptibility gene.

We have shown in the preceding paper that AKR mice are highly resistant to M-MSV tumor development, and that resistance is transmitted as a dominant character. In the present studies the tumor-response pattern of F1 hybrids between resistant AKR and susceptible strains (C57Bl/6, BALB/c and B10BR) following injection with Moloney mouse sarcoma virus (M-MSV) resembles that of the non-AKR parent. Segregation is observed in first backcross (Bc1) and F2 mice, and the segregation ratios up to Bc3 mice fit a one-gene model. The data of triple cross hybrids suggests that this dominant susceptibility gene inhibits the phenotypic expression of M-MSV tumor resistance in some susceptible Fv1bb strains as well as in their hybrids with AKR. Neither Fv-1 nor H-2 exerts any significant influence on this complex system.     

Genetic control of oncogenesis by murine sarcoma virus Moloney pseudotype. I. Genetics of resistance in AKR mice.

Infection of Moloney mouse sarcoma virus (M-MSV) in adult mice of several inbred strains revealed that all strains except AKR are highly susceptible to M-MSV tumor development. F1 hybrids between AKR and CBA, DBA/2 or NIH mice are as resistant (93%) as the parental AKR strain, which indicates that resistance is transmitted as a dominant character. First backcross mice to the susceptible parent show a 3:1 ratio of resistant to susceptible mice. This is the expected ratio for two segregating loci which independently confer resistance. The incidence of resistant F2 mice is somewhat lower than expected. Further support for the two-gene hypothesis was obtained in second backcross mice. None of the major genes affecting MuLV infection (Fv-2 and H-2) seems to play any role in this system and no linkage was found with Thy. 1 and albino, dilute, agouti and brown markers.     

Wide host range of murine sarcoma virus

Cultures of canine, rabbit, porcine, avian, feline, bovine, simian and human origin were tested for their susceptibility to the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (Ki-MSV). Data indicated that Ki-MSV replicates and transforms the cultures of canine embryo, rabbit kidney, porcine kidney, feline embryo, bovine embryo and human tumor cells. These morphologically altered cells contained infectious virus and group-specific (gs) complement-fixing (CF) antigen characteristic of viruses of the murine sarcoma-leukemia complex. The infected cultures produced type-C virus particles. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity was also demonstrable in the altered cells. The present results indicate that members of the murine sarcoma-leukemia virus complex, particularly Ki-MSV, exhibit a wider host range than was hitherto believed.     

Immune reactivity in the Moloney strain of murine sarcoma virus oncogenesis: requirement of thymus-derived lymphocytes for in vivo protection.

To study the function of different lymphocyte populations in the Moloney strain of murine sarcoma virus (M-MuSV) tumorigenesis, we gave M-MuSV injections to CBA mice selectively deprived of thymus (T) lymphocytes by thymectomy, X-rradiation, and syngeneic bone marrow injection. Although no tumors appeared in the control group, 80% of the derived mice had tumors that grew progressively and ultimately killed them. In deprived mice, grafted with a syngeneic thymus (reconstituted mice) before or after an M-MuSV injection, tumors regressed or did not develop. Histologically, the lymph nodes and spleens of reconstituted mice, compared to those of deprived animals, showed repopulation of the thymus-dependent areas and prominent follicles in the cortex. Moreover, tumor tissue of reconstituted mice was extensively infiltrated by lymphocytes. To evaluate the number of lymphoid cells needed to prevent or regress M-MuSV tumors, we injected varying amounts of lymphoid cells into deprived mice. Even low lymphocyte numbers (10(6) cells) were sufficient to exert, in some cases, protection against M-MuSV tumorigenesis. This effect was not abolished by subsequent splenectomy or antilymphocyte serum treatment. Finally, deprived mice, given repeated injections of antiserum (hyperimmune) against M-MuSV, had tumors which appeared only after a prolonged latency. From these results, it is concluded that T-cell population integrity is important in affording total host protection against the M-MuSV tumors.     

Murine sarcoma virus pseudotypes used as immunogens against viral and chemical oncogenesis.

The purpose of this study was to develop an animal system of protective immunity against oncornaviruses and to test whether such immunization had an inhibitory effect upon chemical sarcomagenesis. Several murine sarcoma virus (MSV) pseudotypes were used as immunogens and tested against themselves, against other pseudotypes, against leukemogenesis by their helper viruses, and against sarcomagenesis by 3-methylcholanthrene. Five MSV pseudotypes were obtained by rescuing complete MSV from MSV-genome carrier, nonproducer hamster tumor cells, using five different leukemia viruses as helpers. The immunogenic properties of these pseudotypes could be specified on the basis of the following observations. 1) They all induced sarcomas in newborn mice and regressing sarcoma nodules in young adult mice. After regression, most mice remained free of neoplastic disease, but some developed sarcoma or leukemia relapses. 2) They had an individual host range pattern, usually determined by the helper virus, as tested by inoculation of a constant virus dose in BALB/c, C57BL/Ka, and Swiss mice. 3) They were all immunogenic, in the sense that the first virus inoculation prevented sarcoma induction by a second challenge, either viral or cellular. 4) They were cross-reactive in vivo, one pseudotype immunizing against another, in the combinations tested. 5) They were able to immunize against leukemogenesis induced by their helper viruses. This was shown by prevention of leukemic deaths by Rauscher and Friend viruses, by a slight prolongation of survival after challenge with the Precerutti-Law leukemia virus, and by inhibition of splenomegaly by Moloney leukemia virus. In a second stage of the study, we investigated whether immunization with any of the MSV psuedotypes had an inhibitory effect upon sarcomagenesis induced by near-threshold doses of 3-methylcholanthrene. The incidence of these sarcomas was essentially the same in virus-immunized and control mice. It was concluded that immunizing procedures able to prevent sarcomagenesis when the inducer is a virus did not have any consistent preventive effect when the inducer was a chemical.     

High-dose inhibition and low-dose enhancement of murine sarcoma growth exhibited by BCG vaccine

An in vivo assay for BCG anti-cancer efficacy was developed, utilizing subcutaneous injection into CFW Swiss-Webster mice of cultured S180 sarcoma cells and mixed with freeze-dried TiceTM BCG vaccine. A BCG dose of 0.156-1.56 mg dry weight significantly inhibited tumor formation, but a BCG dose of 0.156-1.56 micrograms significantly enhanced tumor growth, evidenced by increased tumor incidence, volume and initial growth rate. These antagonistic activities may contribute to the high variability of BCG anti-cancer efficacy seen in animals and humans and indicate the need to exercise caution when employing even low doses of BCG for cancer immunotherapy.     

Aberrant viruses in cells infected with murine sarcoma virus-feline leukemia virus.

This study describes an unusual type of virus seen when a feline leukemia virus (FeLV) pseudotype of murine sarcoma virus (MuSV) obtained by cocentrifugation procedures infected feline embryo cells (FEF) and two Crandell cat cell lines (CrFK1, CrFK2). When all three cell cultures were infected with MuSV-FeLV, only FEF and CrFK2 were transformed and only these showed normal and aberrant virus. The CrFK1 infected with MuSV-FeLV did not transform but did replicate normal type-C virus with a 50-A intermediate coat. The virus replicated in the two transformed lines showed three particles; a normal particle with a 50-A intermediate coat, a normal particle with a 100-A intermediate coat, and an aberrant particle with a 100-A intermediate coat.     

Non-producer human cells induced by murine sarcoma virus.

Non-produces (NP) human cells were isolated from transformed foci induced by the Kirsten mouse sarcoma virus. These morphologically altered NP cells produced neither infectious virus nor complement-fixing antigens of the murine sarcoma-leukemia virus complex. However, the sarcoma virus genome could be rescued from these NF cells by co-cultivation with cells carrying "helper" Kirsten mouse leukemia virus or Woolly Monkey leukemia virus. The possible usefulness of these cells in efforts designed to detect covert or repressed RNA tumor viruses in various animal and human tissues is discussed.