The involvement of a type-B retrovirus in the induction of thymic lymphomas.

A highly leukemogenic virus (DMBA-LV) (in vivo leukemogenic titer 1-5 X 10(6) IU/ml, and 35-40 days to thymic lymphoma detection) is produced by a chemical carcinogen-induced transplanted thymic lymphoma. The virus preparation is a mixture of a type-B retrovirus highly related to exogenous type-B retroviral isolates and a biologically defective type-C retrovirus. The DNA of DMBA-LV-induced-tumors contains new type-B proviruses but no additional type-C proviruses could be detected. The leukemogenicity of DMBA-LV was completely neutralized by a monoclonal antibody against MMTV envelope glycoprotein, but was not affected by a broadly reacting Friend MuLV anti-gp70 serum which effectively neutralizes type-C ecotropic, xenotropic, and recombinant retroviruses and which completely abolishes the leukemogenic activity of Moloney leukemia virus. Three type-B mammary tumor-inducing retroviral isolates, while containing type-C retroviral sequences, were not leukemogenic. A further characterization of the type-C retroviral sequences present in DMBA-LV indicated that sequences characteristic of endogenous, nonxenotropic proviruses are present. In addition, using a variety of type-C-specific retroviral DNA probes, no evidence was obtained for the presence of a type-B-C-recombinant genome in DMBA-LV. Leukemogenesis was absolutely dependent upon the presence of a functional type-B retroviral envelope gp 52 and DMBA-LV does not appear to contain a leukemogenic retroviral type-C genome.