Identification of a variant of gross leukemia virus that induces disease in mice inoculated as adults

Gross murine leukemia virus normally induces leukemia (thymic lymphoma) in mice inoculated as neonates, but not as adults. We have isolated an apparent variant of this virus which induces thymomas when inoculated i.p. into susceptible adult mice. Using H-2 congenic BALB and C57BL mice, susceptibility to virus-induced thymomagenesis was found to be linked to the H-2 complex. In addition, a radioresistant immune mechanism leading to inhibition of tumor growth was observed in mice with a C57BL but not a BALB background.