Trans-Species Rescue of Defective Genomes of Murine Sarcoma Virus from Hamster Tumor Cells with Helper Feline Leukemia Virus

This report describes a trans-species rescue of defective MSV genome with helper leukemia virus derived from cats. This rescue was achieved by in vitro co-cultivation of hamster tumor cells with feline embryo cells in the presence of helper feline leukemia virus (FeLV), or by inoculation of tumor cells into FeLV-infected newborn cats.The rescued focus-forming viruses produced foci in feline embryo cultures but not in cultures of mouse, rat, and hamster species. One isolate was tested and found to induce sarcoma in a kitten. Antigenic and viral interference studies indicated that the focus-forming virus has the viral envelope of FeLV. Virus stocks consisted of a mixture of focus-forming particles and a 1000-fold excess of helper FeLV. Virus assay pattern in feline embryo cultures with or without added helper FeLV indicated that this helper virus is required for the transformation of feline cells.     

Control of reversion of Moloney virus sarcoma virus transformed cells.

Mouse cells transformed by the Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MSV) native to the species can give rise to revertants which are supersusceptible to a second cycle of transformation. The MSV retransformed cells can give rise to several complex functional states even after several cycles of cloning: a) Formation of sarcoma positive, leukemia negative (S+Lminus) type cells of which some sublines may be inducible for MSV by halogenated pyrimidines; b) detection of initially SminusLminus cells which spontaneously become transformed and S+Lminus; c) the derivation of flat murine leukemia virus positive (MuLV+) cells which have an atypical MuLV and may become MSV+ as well as MuLV+; d) the release of free MSV from some cell clones with an apparent absence of MuLV. A general feature of all the above variants is a failure of detection of spontaneous reversion occurring after the second cycle of transformation. The nature of MuLV spontaneously released is that of a poorly replicating MuLV which exhibits cross-interference with other MuLV pseudotypes of MSV and the envelope which is most similar to that of Moloney leukemia virus (MLV). The examination for spontaneous reversion in human S+Lminus cells transformed by the same type of genome capable of good frequency of reversion in mouse cells, did not yield human revertant cells.     

Changes in expression of murine leukemia virus antigens and production of xenotropic virus in the late preleukemic period in AKR mice.

We recently reported that thymocytes from 6-month-old preleukemic AKR mice express higher levels of murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-related antigens that thymocytes from 2-month-old mice. We have now found that the level of xenotropic MuLV (defined operationally as MuLV able to infect mink cell cultures) is also markedly increased in thymus of 6-month-old AKR mice and that this increase in virus correlates closely with increased MuLV-antigen expression. There is no increase of MuLV antigen or xenotropic virus in spleen or lymph nodes. Production of ecotropic MuLV remains unchanged with age in thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen. Thymic grafts from 6-month-old AKR mice, but not from 2-month-old mice, induce both amplified MuLV-antigen expression and xenotropic virus production in the thymus of young AKR recipients. Experiments with lethally irradiated AKR mice reconstituted with syngeneic bone marrow cells indicate that age-related changes in the thymus rather than in bone marrow precursor cells are responsible for MuLV-antigen amplification.     

Helper virus is not required for in vitro erythroid transformation of hematopoietic cells by Friend virus

The Friend polycythemia virus complex (FVP), consisting of the replication-defective spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) and a helper Friend murine leukemia virus (MuLV-F), produces erythroleukemia within 2-3 weeks in vivo. We have recently reported in vitro transformation of bone marrow cells by FVP, producing clusters of erythroid colonies (erythroid bursts) 4-6 days after infection. In contrast to uninfected bone marrow cells, FVP-treated cells proliferated and differentiated (synthesized hemoglobin) in the absence of added erythropoietin, the physiologic regulator of erythropoiesis. The relative roles of helper murine leukemia virus (MuLV) and SFFV in the in vitro erythroid transformation have now been examined. Pseudotype studies and the finding that cloned MuLV-F (free of SFFV) did not induce burst formation indicated that SFFV was essential for this in vitro effect of FVP. Because SFFV could not be obtained free of helper MuLV, we assessed the requirement of MuLV in the transformation by kinetic analyses of helper-deficient and helper-excess FVP preparations. Whereas helper-excess FVP gave single-hit kinetics both in vivo and in vitro, the helper-deficient FVP followed multiple-hit kinetics when titrated for spleen focus formation in vivo. Addition of MuLV-F to helper-deficient FVP prior to injection resulted in a marked enhancement of spleen focus formation and a conversion from multiple-hit to single-hit kinetics. In contrast, titration of this same preparation for erythroid burst transformation in vitro yielded single-hit kinetics, and the addition of helper MuLV-F had no effect. The time course of burst development was similar with or without added MuLV-F. Unlike burst transformation, SFFV production by these infected cultures followed multiple-hit kinetics. Addition of MuLV-F at the time of infection led to an enhancement of SFFV production and conversion of the titration curve from multiple-hit to single-hit. These data are consistent with the idea that SFFV is competent for erythroid transformation in vitro, but requires helper MuLV for its replication.     

Cloned stromal cell lines derived from human Whitlock/Witte-type long-term bone marrow cultures.

We report a human bone marrow culture technique that initially parallels the murine Whitlock/Witte culture system. As in the murine system, B cells predominate over other cell types, and all differentiation stages from pre-B to plasma cell are observed. Although these human long-term cultures pass through stages resembling phases I to III of murine Whitlock/Witte cultures, no outgrowth of nonadherent cells was seen after cultures had reached the "crisis" phase unless Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformants appeared. The stromal cells persisted well beyond crisis, but they could not be maintained and passaged as cell lines, limiting their use in molecular analysis. Transfection of these stromal cells with plasmid DNA containing the simian virus 40 (SV40) early region yielded 124 cloned cell lines. Analysis of these lines showed that all expressed SV40 large T antigen, but they retained most phenotypic markers found on non-transformed stromal cells. When adherent and T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells were cultured on either nontransformed stromal layers or transformed cell lines they proliferated actively and soon yielded predominantly lymphoid nonadherent populations. Moreover, prolonged survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells of pre-B phenotype was regularly achieved on both normal and transformed adherent cell layers. Although the liquid culture system favored lymphocytes, transformed stroma supported colony formation by both human and murine hemopoietic progenitors when marrow was added in agar medium. This was not explained by colony-stimulating factor (CSF) production, because striking heterogeneity in the levels of granulocyte CSF (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) secretion by the lines was noted. Some lines that did not produce detectable CSF demonstrated good support of fresh bone marrow growth and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell survival. The heterogeneity of these cell lines and their capacity to support hemopoiesis suggest that they will be useful in studying the molecular basis of in vitro lymphohemopoiesis in man.     

Abelson antigen: a viral tumor antigen that is also a differentiation antigen of BALB/c mice.

We report here the serologic detection of a cell surface antigen common to cells transformed by the Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) and to normal hematopoietic cells from certain strains of mice. Serum from C57BL/6 mice hyperimmunized with syngeneic A-MuLV lymphoma cells was cytotoxic for the immunizing cells; this reaction was used as the serologic test system for recognition of A-MuLV antigens. Absorption analysis using 40 tumors and 21 cell lines revealed that two serologic specificities were detected by this test system: (i) FMR antigen(s) related to the Moloney MuLV helper (the virus from which A-MuLV was originally derived), and (ii) an antigen expressed on all cells transformed by A-MuLV. The A-MuLV-specific antigen was also present on uninfected cells from BALB/c bone marrow, spleen, and fetal liver but not from adult liver, thymus, lymph nodes, or peripheral blood. Abelson antigen was not expressed on bone marrow or spleen cells of 12 other mouse strains. In light of the original isolation of A-MuLV from a BALB/c mouse infected with Moloney virus, it is possible that Abelson antigen is a serologic marker for a gene of BALB/c mice, normally encoding a cell surface molecule, that was incorporated into the Moloney virus genome during the generation of A-MuLV.     

Viral-related information in oncornavirus-lik particles isolated from cultures of marrow cells from leukemic patients in relapse and remission.

Characterization of ribonucleic acid content of particles released from cultures of marrow cells of leukemic patients indicates the presence of RNA molecules of size and base sequence characteristic of oncornarviruses. Seventeen marrow samples obtained from leukemic patients in relapse or in a chronic phase of the disease yielded particles containing high-molecular-weight RNA with a sedimentation velocity (about 70 S) similar to that obtained for murine oncornavirus RNA. Eight of nine marrow samples from non-leukemic patients did not yield detectable high-molecular weight RNA. Among patients in firm hematological remission, three of three samples from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and three of nine samples from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia were positive for high-molecular-weight RNA. The base sequence of the RNA in particles was characterized by synthesizing complementary (3-H)DNA in an endogenous reaction and hybridizing to excess RNA from known oncornaviruses. Hybridization of 40-60% of input complementary DNA to simian sarcoma virus RNA was detected. No monology was detected with an avian oncornavirus (Rous sarcoma virus) while an intermediate level of homology (10-30%) was detected in hybridization to murine sarcoma virus (Kirsten) and murine leukemia viruses (Rauscher, Moloney, and Gross).     

Characterization of murine sarcoma virus transformation of guinea pig cells and activation of an RNA tumor-like virus from nonproducer guinea pig cells.

Guinea pig embryo (GEP) cells were transformed in vitro by the Kirsten strain of mouse sarcoma virus (Ki-MSV). The transformed cells were found to release infectious virus continuously and produced high titers of group-specific (gs) complement-fixing (CF) antigen characteristics of the murine sarcoma-leukemia virus complex. Foci of transformed cells were similar in appearance to those obtained with Ki-MSV in mouse and rat cells. The transformed cells produced RNA dependent DNA polymerase and type C virus particles with a density of approximately 1.15 g/ml in sucrose gradients by 3H-uridine labeling. The transformed cells produced tumors when transplanted into newborn guinea pigs. A number of focus-derived clonal lines from Ki-MSV transformed cells were isolated and characterized. All the focus-derived lines were found to be either producers or nonproducers (NP). The NP guinea pig cells produced neither infectious virus nor viral antigens of the murine sarcoma-leukemia virus complex although they were morphologically indistinguishable from virus-releasing MSV transformed GPE lines and produced tumors when transplanted into newborn guinea pigs. However, the sarcoma virus genome could be rescued in these NP cells by cocultivation with "helper" murine leukemia virus (MuLV) releasing GPE cells. Particles resembling guinea pig leukemia virus were activated from guinea pig NP cells or cultured normal guinea pig cells following chemical treatment. These particles were approximately 100 nm in the mature form and had a density of 1.16-1.17 g/ml. They contained RNA dependent DNA polymerase activity.     

Lipid accumulation and production of colony-stimulating activity by the 266AD cell line derived from mouse bone marrow

The availability of cloned lines of bone marrow stromal cells could facilitate the analysis of their role in hemopoietic cell development. The 266AD cell line was isolated from a colony of lipid-accumulating bone marrow cells growing in a collagen gel. 266AD cells have subsequently been maintained by passage in tissue culture plastic flasks about every 10 days for greater than 10 mo. Subconfluent cultures of cells are fibroblast-appearing, but in confluent cell sheets, prominent foci of lipid-containing cells develop in both uncloned and four separate cloned cell lines. Supernatants from confluent cultures containing lipid-laden cells contain granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating activity (GM-CSA) for normal bone marrow cells and can induce differentiation of Abelson virus transformed murine promonocytic leukemia cells. 266AD cells were originally isolated in the presence of hydrocortisone, but hydrocortisone is not necessary for lipogenesis to occur. Growth of bone marrow cells in a collagen gel matrix provided a way to isolate stromal cells, and the 266AD cell line provides a means to examine the relationships between stromal cell lipogenesis and regulation of granulopoiesis.     

Oncornavirus Expression in Human × Mouse Hybrid Cells Segregating Mouse Chromosomes

Human x mouse hybrid clones obtained by fusing transformed human (VA2) cells with embryonic mouse brain cells were tested for their ability to spontaneously express type C virus particles. It had been previously shown that these hybrid cells preferentially retained human chromosomes while mouse chromosomes were lost. The culture fluid from one cell line was found to contain type C particle markers in abundance, and typical budding C particles were observed in the cells by electron microscopy. In contrast, no particle markers were detected in the culture fluid from parental cells and several other hybrid cell lines. Subclones of the virus-positive cell line continued to lose mouse chromosomes and were found to vary more than 100-fold in their culture fluid DNA polymerase activity. The hybrid cell viruses, termed HMV1, banded in a sucrose gradient between 1.14 and 1.16 g/ml, possessed viral group-specific antigens, and exhibited B-tropic host range for replication in mouse embryo cells, but did not replicate in human cells when directly applied. The virus did not transform mouse cells but was able to rescue the defective murine sarcoma virus from sarcoma-positive, helper-virus-negative cells. Activity of the DNA polymerase associated with HMV1 was similar to the activity of Rauscher murine leukemia virus (MuLV) DNA polymerase in its preference for poly(rA) over poly(dA) as a template, use of endogenous template, detergent requirement, and inhibition by antiserum directed against MuLV.DNA polymerase. The results suggest that human x mouse hybrid cells segregating mouse chromosomes can spontaneously express endogenous type C viruses and that such hybrid cell lines may be used for the isolation of latent mammalian oncornaviruses and analysis of viral gene regulation.     

Humoral-dependent hemopoiesis and flow cytometric analysis of chronic myelogenous leukemia in erythroblastic transformation

Bone marrow and peripheral blood cells from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in erythroblastic transformation were studied by flow cytometry and for hemopoietic colony growth. Results demonstrated that this disorder had greatly expanded bone marrow erythroid colony (CFU-E) and myeloid colony (CFU-GM) progenitor compartments that were totally dependent upon erythropoietin and colony-stimulating factor. DNA, RNA and cell cycle analysis revealed that the bone marrow cells were diploid, had a high percentage of S phase cells (17%), and a unique bimodal RNA index of 5 and 13.8. Results are discussed and contrasted with other myeloproliferative disorders.     

Inhibition of AKR leukemogenesis by SMX-1, a dualtropic murine leukemia virus.

Intrathymic injection of SMX-1, a dualtropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) originally derived from Moloney murine leukemia virus stocks, protects AKR mice from developing MuLV-accelerated leukemia and spontaneous leukemia. Thymuses of SMX-1-injected mice show no change in weight, morphology, or thymocyte size, and quantitative expression of Thy-1 and Lyt-2 differentiation antigens is identical to control mice. The amplified thymic expression of MuLV-related antigens that occurs spontaneously in 6-month-old preleukemic AKR mice or that can be induced in young AKR mice by leukemogenic AKR dualtropic MuLV is prevented by SMX-1. It appears unlikely that the protective effect of SMX-1 is explicable in terms of cross-immunogenicity with transforming MuLV or transformed cells. As SMX-1 persists for long periods after intrathymic injection and does not alter levels of thymic ecotropic MuLV, SMX-1 may interfere with the generation, spread, or leukemogenicity of dualtropic MuLV that form de novo in AKR thymus during the late preleukemic phase. SMX-1 provides a way to probe the events leading to cell transformation in AKR mice.     

Characterization of a feline sarcoma virus-coded antigen (FOCMA-S) by radioimmunoassay.

A radioimmunoassay has been developed that detects a unique antigen encoded by the genome of the feline sarcoma virus (FeSV). Pseudotype viral particles containing an FeSV-specific polyprotein (p85) were used both as a source of antigen and to prepare specific antisera in rabbits. Because p85 contains antigens related to two structural proteins (p15 and p12) of feline leukemia virus (FeLV), antibodies directed to these were adsorbed with purified FeLV proteins. The adsorbed rabbit antiserum bound to antigenic determinants (designated FOCMA-S) which are also present in p85 and reacted specifically in immunofluorescence tests with rat cells transformed by FeSV and with FOCMA-positive cat lymphoid tumor cells. Competition assays detect FOCMA-S in pseudotype type C viruses rescued from FeSV-transformed mink and rat cells but not in heterologous type C helper viruses or in FeLV. A crossreactive antigen was also detected in pseudotypes of Kirsten sarcoma virus. The assay permits the quantitative measurement of an FeSV-coded protein whose expression is associated with viral transformation.