Interference established in mice by infection with Friend murine leukemia virus.

Retroviral interference is manifested in chronically infected cells as a decrease in susceptibility to superinfection by virions using the same cellular receptor. The pattern of interference reflects the cellular receptor specificity of the chronically infecting retrovirus and is mediated by the viral envelope glycoprotein, which is postulated to bind competitively all cellular receptors available for viral attachment. We established retroviral interference in mice by infecting them with Friend murine leukemia virus and them measured susceptibility to superinfection by challenging the mice with the erythroproliferative spleen focus-forming virus. Infection of approximately 10% of nucleated splenocytes rendered mice 1% as susceptible to superinfection as untreated controls. The magnitude of this effect was the same in mice incapable of producing neutralizing antibodies or genetically deficient for T cells. The results indicated that retroviral interference in vivo was established rapidly with infection of a fraction of the host cell population and that the decrease in susceptibility to superinfection occurred without a detectable contribution by immunologic factors.     

Susceptibility of nude mice carrying the Fv-4 gene to Friend murine leukemia virus infection.

Fv-4 is a mouse gene that dominantly confers resistance to infection with Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) (S. Suzuki, Jpn. J. Exp. Med. 45:473-478, 1975). Despite complete resistance to ecotropic MuLV infection in mice carrying the Fv-4 gene, it is known that cells carrying the resistance gene in tissue culture do not always show resistance as extensive as that in vivo (H. Yoshikura and T. Odaka, JNCI 61:461-463, 1978). To investigate the immunological effect on resistance in vivo, we introduced the Fv-4 gene into BALB/c nude mice (Fv-4-/- nude[nu/nu]) by mating them with Fv-4 congenic BALB/c mice (Fv-4r/r nude+/+) and examined the susceptibility of the F2 progeny to F-MuLV. All BALB/c nude mice without the Fv-4 gene (Fv-4-/- nude[nu/nu]) were permissive to F-MuLV and developed erythroleukemia within 2 weeks after virus inoculation. The BALB/c nude mice with the Fv-4 gene (Fv-4r/r nude[nu/nu]) did not develop leukemia, and no or little virus was detected in the spleen 7 weeks after virus inoculation. The resistance to F-MuLV was dominant in (Fv-4 congenic BALB/c x BALB/c nude) F1 mice with the Fv-4r/- nude(nu/+) genotype as strictly as in (Fv-4 congenic BALB/c x BALB/c) F1 mice with the Fv-4r/- nude+/+ genotype. However, almost all BALB/c nude mice with the Fv-4r/- nude(nu/nu) genotype developed the disease within 7 weeks, and the virus was detected in all of their spleens even in the mice without leukemia. These results show that the resistance caused by the Fv-4 gene is recessive in nude mice and dominant in BALB/c mice. Some immunological effects, perhaps cell-mediated immunity, may play important roles in the resistance to F-MuLV infection in vivo in addition to the dosage effect of the Fv-4 product.     

T-cells inhibit Friend murine leukemia virus infection of B-cells in vitro

The ability of splenic T-cells to regulate Friend murine leukemia virus replication in lipopolysaccharide-activated target B-cells infected in vitro was investigated. Removal of the T-cell fraction from spleen cells resulted in an 8- to 10-fold enhancement in the number of productively infected cells in the remaining B-cell-enriched fraction, as compared with unseparated spleen cells, and the addition of increasing numbers of purified T-cells to isolated B-cells prior to infection resulted in a directly proportional reduction in the number of B-cells releasing infectious progeny virus. Separation of splenic T-cells into Lyt 2- and Lyt 2+ T-cells before addition to infected B-cell cultures resulted in inhibition of infection only with the Lyt 2- T-cells; Lyt 2+ T-cells did not inhibit infection, even at high 1:1 ratios. Similarly, separation of splenic T-cells into L3T4+ and L3T4- T-cells before addition resulted in inhibition by L3T4+ but not L3T4- T-cells. Also, cytotoxic treatment of splenic T-cells with monoclonal anti-L3T4 antibody and complement before addition to B-cell cultures destroyed the regulatory effects. Finally, depletion of macrophages from both T-cells and B-cells before infection and coculture had no effect on the ability of T-cells to regulate B-cell infection. Collectively these results demonstrate that L3T4+ T-cells can inhibit Friend murine leukemia virus replication in target B-cells. Culture of isolated splenic T-cells with Friend murine leukemia virus in vitro resulted in the induction of alpha/beta but not interferon-gamma synthesis and in some experiments interferon-containing supernatants from T-cell-virus cultures were able to mediate suppression of B-cell infection with Friend helper virus; the addition of antibody specific for interferon-alpha/beta to cultures inhibited the ability of T-cells to regulate B-cell infection.     

trans-dominant interference with virus infection at two different stages by a mutant envelope protein of Friend murine leukemia virus.

A dominant negative mutant Friend murine leukemia virus (FMLV) env gene was cloned from an immunoselected Friend erythroleukemia cell. The mutant env had a point mutation which resulted in a Cys-to-Arg substitution at the 361st amino acid in the FMLV envelope protein (Env). The mutant Env was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and accumulated because of its slow degradation. The NIH 3T3 cells expressing the mutant env were resistant to ecotropic Moloney MLV (MoMLV) penetration, suggesting that the mutant Env traps the ecotropic MLV receptors in the ER. When the mutant env gene was transfected into and expressed in the cells persistently infected with MoMLV, the wild-type Env was trapped in the ER, and the MoMLV production was suppressed. Thus, the mutant Env accumulating in the ER trans-dominantly and efficiently interfered with the ecotropic MLV infection at both the early and the late stages.     

Changes in hepatic lipid composition after infection by LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus causing murine AIDS.

The severe hepatic disorders in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is often attributed to a variety of other factors which could affect hepatic function. To evaluate the mechanism of liver damage in murine AIDS-induced immune-suppressed animal, a murine model of AIDS (MAIDS), caused by infection with LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus was used at a late stage of the disease. Retroviral infection significantly increased hepatic cholesterol, triacylgycerol and the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. Similarly, the proportions of palmitic, palmitoleic, linoleic, ratios of linoleic to arachidonic and saturated to unsaturated fatty acids were significantly lower while the proportion of oleic, docosatetraenoic and docosahexenoic fatty acids were significantly increased in the retrovirus infected mice. Hepatic dysfunction as evidence by increased serum transaminase levels were also observed in the retrovirus infected animals. The data suggest that the liver damage in murine AIDS is induced by retroviral infection and the desaturase enzymes system necessary to maintain regular balance of the fatty acids in the cells may be affected during retroviral infection.     

Target cell heterogeneity in murine leukemia virus infection. III. Identification of susceptible Lyt 1+ and resistant Lyt 2+ T-cell subsets following in vitro infection with Friend murine leukemia virus

The susceptibility of splenic T-cell subpopulations to productive infection with Friend murine leukemia virus was determined after in vitro infection and stimulation with Con A. Con A enhanced the number of productively infected cells in unseparated spleen cells as well as in T-cell-enriched spleen cell fractions. Splenic T cells were fractionated into Lyt 1+ and Lyt 2+ subpopulations using both positive and negative selection techniques; susceptible splenic T cells were recovered in the Lyt 1+ fraction and specific cytotoxic treatment with anti-Lyt 1 antibody and complement reduced the number of infectious center-producing cells by greater than 87%. In marked contrast, Lyt 2+ splenic T cells were resistant to productive infection by Friend murine leukemia virus in vitro.     

Altered interleukin production during Friend leukemia virus infection

Spleen cells from BALB/c mice, infected 14 to 28 days earlier with Friend leukemia virus (FLV), were shown to be inhibited in their ability to produce interleukin 2 (IL-2) when stimulated with mitogen. Likewise, these spleen cell populations failed to respond following mitogenic stimulation or exogenous addition of recombinant IL-2. By contrast, the FLV-infected spleen cell populations produced normal levels of interleukin 1 (IL-1) and thymocytes from FLV-infected mice responded normally to addition of exogenous IL-1. This suggests that FLV infection selectively affects the ability of spleen cells to produce cytokines. Spleen cell populations enriched for T lymphocytes and depleted of tumor cells by density gradient centrifugation in Ficoll were unable to produce IL-2. This indicates that the failure to detect IL-2 in cells from FLV-infected mice was not due to a dilution of T lymphocytes by tumor cells but was a functional inability to produce IL-2. Furthermore, enriched T lymphocytes from FLV-infected mice failed to respond blastogenically to exogenous IL-2. Additional studies indicate that tumor cells, but not macrophages or T lymphocytes from FLV-infected spleens, suppressed the blastogenic response to mitogens and IL-2 production by normal splenic T lymphocytes.     

Tissue-specific replication of Friend and Moloney murine leukemia viruses in infected mice.

We have studied the replication of ecotropic murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) in the spleens and thymuses of mice infected with the lymphocytic leukemia-inducing virus Moloney MuLV (M-MuLV), with the erythroleukemia-inducing virus Friend MuLV (F-MuLV), or with in vitro-constructed recombinants between these viruses in which the long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences have been exchanged. At 1 week after infection both the parents and the LTR recombinants replicated predominantly in the spleens with only low levels of replication in the thymus. At 2 weeks after infection, the patterns of replication in the spleens and thymuses were strongly influenced by the type of LTR. Viruses containing the M-MuLV LTR exhibited a remarkable elevation in thymus titers which frequently exceeded the spleen titers, whereas viruses containing the F-MuLV LTR replicated predominantly in the spleen. In older preleukemic mice (5 to 8 weeks of age) the structural genes of M-MuLV or F-MuLV predominantly influenced the patterns of replication. Viruses containing the structural genes of M-MuLV replicated efficiently in both the spleen and thymus, whereas viruses containing the structural genes of F-MuLV replicated predominantly in the spleen. In leukemic mice infected with the recombinant containing F-MuLV structural genes and the M-MuLV LTR, high levels of virus replication were observed in splenic tumors but not in thymic tumors. This phenotypic difference suggested that tumors of the spleen and thymus may have originated by the independent transformation of different cell types. Quantification of polytropic MulVs in late-preleukemic mice infected with each of the ecotropic MuLVs indicated that the level of polytropic MuLV replication closely paralleled the level of replication of the ecotropic MuLVs in all instances. These studies indicated that determinants of tissue tropism are contained in both the LTR and structural gene sequences of F-MuLV and M-MuLV and that high levels of ecotropic or polytropic MuLV replication, per se, are not sufficient for leukemia induction. Our results further suggested that leukemia induction requires a high level of virus replication in the target organ only transiently during an early preleukemic stage of disease.     

Leukemia induction by a new strain of Friend mink cell focus-inducing virus: synergistic effect of Friend ecotropic murine leukemia virus.

A new strain of Friend recombinant mink cell focus-inducing retrovirus, FMCF -1-E, was found to induce leukemias in NFS and IRW mice. Although the isolate was obtained from a stock of FMCF -1 ( Troxler et al., J. Exp. Med. 148:639-653, 1978), FMCF -1-E was distinguishable from FMCF -1 by oligonucleotide fingerprinting and antigenic analysis, using monoclonal antibodies. These analyses suggested that FMCF -1-E is a distinct FMCF isolate rather than a simple variant of FMCF -1. After neonatal inoculation, the latency for leukemia induction was 3 to 8 months. A similar long latency was also seen when Friend murine leukemia virus 57 was inoculated into adult (6-week-old) IRW mice. However, sequential inoculation of FMCF -1-E at birth followed by Friend murine leukemia 57 at 6 weeks of age led to a shortened latency period (2.5 to 4 months). Only neonatal inoculation of Friend murine leukemia virus 57 was able to induce a more rapid appearance of leukemia. The leukemia cell type in the majority of cases, regardless of virus inoculation protocol, was erythroid, but occasional myeloid, lymphoid, and mixed leukemias were also observed. In contrast to NFS and IRW mice, BALB/c mice were resistant to leukemia induction by FMCF -1-E and also showed some transient resistance to leukemia induction by Friend murine leukemia virus 57.     

Isolation of paralysis-inducing murine leukemia viruses from Friend virus passaged in rats.

Four clones of murine leukemia viruses (PVC-111, PVC-211, PVC-321, and PVC-441) were isolated from a paralyzed Fischer rat which had been infected with rat-passaged Friend leukemia virus. PVC-211 and PVC-321 viruses induced hind leg paralysis in rats and killed them within 1 month, and PVC-441 did so within 2 months after infection, whereas PVC-111 did not within 4 months. PVC-321 and PVC-441 but not PVC-111 virus grew well in brain and spinal cord media. The viral antigens were found often in glia cells and rarely in neurons of the rats infected with each of these PVC viruses. All of the PVC viruses induced neuronal degeneration but neither inflammation nor leukemic infiltration in the spinal cord. The isolated viruses were all ecotropic and NB-tropic. Age dependency of the susceptibility of rats to paralysis induction was observed.     

Subgenomic fragment of molecular cloned Friend murine leukemia virus DNA contains the gene(s) responsible for Friend murine leukemia virus-induced disease.

Friend murine leukemia virus (G-MuLV) is a helper-independent, type C retrovirus isolated from stocks of Friend virus complex (spleen focus-forming virus plus MuLV). In cell culture, F-MuLV has an ecotropic and NB-tropic host range and causes XC cells to fuse. When injected into newborn NIH Swiss mice, F-MuLV produces hepatosplenomegaly, severe anemia, and numerous circulating hematopoietic precursors in the peripheral blood with normal thymus and lymph nodes after 3 to 6 weeks. Recently, we molecularly cloned an 8.5-kilobase pair (kbp) form of F-MuLV DNA from which we could recover the pathogenic F-MuLV virus by DNA transfection of NIH 3T3 cells. From this molecularly cloned F-MuLV DNA, we have now subcloned in pBR322 a 4.1-kbp HindIII fragment which contains in continuity 3.0 kbp from the 3' terminus (env and c region), 0.6 kbp of the terminal repeat sequences, and 0.5 kbp from the 5'terminus of the viral RNA (genome). NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were transfected with this DNA fragment an then infected with the wild mouse amphotropic retrovirus (cl 1504-A). In cell culture, 1504-A is a helper-independent type C virus which has an N-tropic host range and does not cause fusion of XC cells. When injected into newborn NIH Swiss mice, 1504-A does not produce splenomegaly or thymic enlargement in mice held for up to 8 months. The transfection with the F-MuLV fragment and the infection with 1504-A consistently yielded virus preparations that were XC positive. From such virus stocks we were able to isolate both helper-independent and replication-defective XC-positive viruses. The helper-independent virus was shown to be a recombinant virus since it contains a gp70 molecule derived at least in part from F-MuLV and a specific gag precursor derived from 1504-A as determined by radioactive immune precipitation assays. When injected into newborn Swiss mice, the recombinant helper-independent virus caused hepatosplenomegaly in approximately 50% of the mice in 6 to 8 weeks. The histology of the diseased splenic tissue was indistinguishable from that seen in the disease caused by the whole F-MuLV. The replication-defective virus could be pseudotyped with new 1504-A virus, and this viral complex also caused the F-MuLV disease picture when the complex was injected into newborn Swiss mice. We conclude that the genetic information responsible for the pathogenicity of F-MuLV is contained within the 4.1-kbp DNA fragment, which includes env gene sequences, the terminal repeat sequences, and the c region sequences of the F-MuLV genome.     

Role of immunity in age-related resistance to paralysis after murine leukemia virus infection.

Resistance to the paralytic effects of a wild mouse (Cas-Br-M) murine leukemia virus infection develops with age and is complete by 10 days of age in susceptible NFS mice. The possibility that cell-mediated immunity plays a significant role in this resistance was suggested by the observation that treatment of 10-day-old mice with antithymocyte serum rendered them susceptible to paralysis. By comparison, mice rendered incapable of generating a humoral immune response by treatment from birth to 1 month of age with anti-immunoglobulin M serum did not develop paralysis after challenge with virus at day 10. Transfer of unseparated and T-cell-enriched populations of Cas-Br-M murine leukemia virus-immune spleen cells protected neonatally infected NFS recipients from paralysis; transfer of Cas-Br-M murine leukemia virus-immune populations enriched for B cells delayed the onset but did not ultimately protect neonatally infected NFS mice from paralysis. Transfer of naive adult spleen cells had no protective effect in neonatally infected NFS mice. High-level virus replication occurred in the spleens and brains of all mice that developed paralysis regardless of treatment; low-level virus replication in spleen and barely detectable replication in brain occurred in mice that remained clinically normal. These studies suggest that the age-acquired resistance to the paralytic effect of Cas-Br-M murine leukemia virus infection is immunologically mediated and that T cells may play a major role.