Reticulum cell neoplasms induced in C57BL/6 mice by cultured virus grown in stromal hematopoietic cell lines.

Thirty-one adherent cell lines have been established from the spleens, lymph nodes, and bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice carrying radiation leukemia virus (Duplan isolate)-induced reticulum cell neoplasms (RCN). The cell lines had a stable epithelial or fibroblastoid morphology, Supernatant virus from these lines induced splenic and lymph node RCN in 100% of inoculated C57BL/6 mice within 30 days. The disease was generalized and involved many organs. The monolayer cells themselves were not tumor cells and induced RCN through infection of the host with RCN virus. Simultaneous inoculation of in vitro-grown RCN-inducing virus any thymic lymphosarcoma virus induced each disease independently with unaltered incidence, latency period, and organ involvement; no mutual enhancement or inhibition was found, thus two separate mechanisms of action were indicated. Reextraction of the viruses from spleen, lymph nodes, and thymus gland indicated the specific organotropism of each agent. All the adherent cell lines that were derived from hematopoietic tissues produced ample, potent RCN-inducing virus. This high success rate suggests that in the hematopoietic organs the stromal, fibroblastoid cells are a natural habitat for the RCN-inducing virus. The RCN-inducing virus species may well be synthesized in these hematopoietic stromal cells. RCN-inducing virus from culture supernatants contained high-titer infectious ecotropic and xenotropic virus that was titrated. The cultures are being used to clone the RCN-inducing virus and to establish the virologic and molecular properties that endow it with specific RCN-inducing capacity.