Early clonality and high-frequency proviral integration into the c-myc locus in AKR leukemias.

Blot hybridization of thymocyte DNA from AKR/J mice was used to detect new proviral junction fragments as markers of clonality at different stages of viral leukemogenesis and to detect DNA rearrangements at the c-myc locus due to proviral insertion. Clonal populations of thymocytes were observed in mink cell focus-forming virus-injected mice as early as 35 days postinjection, at a stage distinguishable from frank leukemia by flow cytometric analysis and transplantation bioassay. Specific proviral integrations in the c-myc locus were detected in 15% of these early clones and in up to 65% of late-developing thymomas and frank leukemias. Thus, in this system c-myc activation appears to be a common mechanism in T-cell leukemogenesis.