Cell division requirement for activation of murine leukemia virus in cell culture by irradiation.

Actively dividing cultures of AKR mouse cells were exposed to relatively low dose-rates of gamma radiation and tested for activation of endogenous leukemia viruses. Efficient and reproducible induction of virus was obtained with actively dividing cells, but cultures deprived of serum to inhibit cell division before and during gamma irradiation were not activated, even when medium with serum was added immediately after irradiation. These results show that cell division was required for virus induction but that a stable intermediate similar to the state induced by halogenated pyrimidines was not formed. In actively dividing AKR cell cultures, virus activation appeared to be proportional to the dose of gamma radiation; the estimated frequency of activation was 1.8 × 10^?5 per exposed cell and the efficiency of activation was approximately 0.012 inductions per cell per rad. Other normal primary and established mouse cell cultures tested were not activated by gamma radiation. The requirement of cell division for radiation and chemical activation may reflect some common mechanism for initiation of virus expression.