T1 oligonucleotide maps of N-, B-, and B leads to NB-tropic murine leukemia viruses derived from BALB/c.

We previously described and characterized RNase T1 RNA fingerprints of an N-, a B-, and five B leads to NB-tropic murine leukemia viruses derived from BALB/c mice (Faller and Hopkins, J. Virol. 23:188-195, 1977, and J. Virol. 24:609-617, 1977). These viruses share the majority of their large RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides, but each possesses some "unique" oligonucleotides relative to the others. We have ordered the large T1-resistant oligonucleotides of the N-, the B-, and one NB-tropic virus relative to the 3' end of their genomes to obtain oligonucleotide maps. These maps indicate that (i) the large T1 oligonucleotides shared by the N-, B-, and NB-tropic viruses probably occupy the same relative positions on their genomes; (ii) the 14 T1 oligonucleotides that differ between the N- and B-tropic viruses are derived from regions scattered along the genomes; and (iii) an oligonucleotide that is present in five NB-tropic viruses but not in their B-tropic virus progenitors lies toward the 5' end of the NB-tropic virus oligonucleotide map.     

Biochemical analysis of the p30''s of N-, B-, and B leads to NB-tropic murine leukemia viruses of BALB/c origin.

Previous analysis of the virion proteins of an N- and a B-tropic type C virus of BALB/c mice, of 16 N-tropic recombinants (XLPN viruses) between these viruses, and of eight NB-tropic viruses derived from the B-tropic virus suggested that among these closely related viruses N-, B-, or NB-tropism was associated with the electrophoretic mobility of p30 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and thus that p30 might determine this phenotype. To obtain further evidence for the association of structural markers of p30 with N-, B-, or NB-tropism, we have analyzed the p30's of these same viruses by using two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping and slab gel isoelectric focusing. The results of these analyses suggest that (i) a single peptide unique to the N-tropic virus p30- is present in the p30 of all N-tropic recombinants; (ii) a single peptide unique to the B virus p30 is not present in p30's of the N-tropic recombinants, and this peptide is also absent in p30's of NB-tropic viruses derived from the B-tropic virus; and (iii) p30's of NB-tropic viruses possess a new tryptic peptide not found in the p30 of their B-tropic virus progenitors, and this new peptide is not found in the p30 of the N-tropic virus of BALB/c or the XLPN viruses. These results are consistent with the possibility that p30 may determine the N-, B-, or NB-tropism of murine leukemia viruses. In addition, these studies indicate that some of the N-tropic recombinants have experienced recombination within the p30 gene.     

Donation of N- or B-tropic phenotype to NB-tropic murine leukemia virus during mixed infections.

The IC isolate of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV), which is NB-tropic, was grown in cells producing conditionally defective or defective virus particles derived from N- or B-tropic MuLV. The infectious MuLV that was then released was found to be sensitive to Fv-1 restriction but produced NB-tropic progeny upon passage. These results indicate that this NB-tropic MuLV can acquire sensitivity to Fv-1 restriction by phenotypic mixing with N- or B-tropic MuLV. It is thus suggested that NB-tropic MuLV is insensitive to Fv-1 restriction simply because it lacks the determinants of tropism.     

RNA sequencing provides evidence for allelism of determinants of the N-, B- or NB-tropism of murine leukemia viruses.

Previous genetic and biochemical studies identified three large RNAase T1-resistant oligonucleotides, each associated with either the N-, B- or NB-tropism of murine C-type viruses of BALB/c origin. These oligonucleotides were shown to lie in the 5' third of the oligonucleotide maps of their respective viruses. We sequenced the three oligonucleotides and found that they share a 10 base sequence. Together these observations provide good evidence that the determinants of N-, B- or NB-tropism monitored by the three oligonucleotides are allelic. The oligonucleotides associated with N- and B-tropism differ in sequence at four of sixteen nucleotides, while the B- and NB-tropism-associated oligonucleotides differ in sequence by only one base out of sixteen. These results are consistent with the possibilities that B-tropic viruses may arise from N-tropic viruses by recombination, while NB-tropic viruses may arise from B-tropic virus by mutation. An unexplained finding was that a 10 base sequence present in the oligonucleotide associated with N-tropism is also found in the 3' third of the genomes of the N-, B- and NB-tropic viruses studied.     

Evidence for recombination between N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses.

After co-infection of Sc-1 cells with N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses that differ in their XC plaque morphology, Hopkins et al. (1976) obtained viruses, designated XLP-N, that appeared to be recombinants, since they possess the N-tropism of one parent and the XC plaque morphology of the other (the B-tropic virus) parent. Here we present evidence, based on antigenicity and electrophoretic mobility, that some clonal isolates of XLP-N have inherited gp70 gene of their B-tropic virus parent. In addition to providing evidence that XLP-N viruses are recombinants, the fact that an N-tropic virus may apparently possess a gp70 derived from a B-tropic virus provides evidence, which is in agreement with the findings of others (Huang et al., 1973; Krontiris et al., 1973) that the N- or B-tropism of murine leukemia virus does not reside in gp70.     

Genetic transmission of endogenous N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses in low-leukemic strain C57BL/6.

Spontaneous expression of endogenous N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses was stu1bb), DDD (Fuv-1nn), DDD-Fvr (fv-1nn), (DDD or DDD-Fvr times C57BL/6)F1, and 16 partially inbredlines with either the Fv-1nn or Fv-1bb genotype, which had been established from hybrids between C57BL/6 and DDD-Fvr. When tested at middle age, virus-positive mice were found in C57BL/6, F1 hybrids, and 9 out of 16 partially inbred lines. N-tropic viruses were isolated from Fv-1nn, Fv-1bb mice, whereas B-tropic viruses, except for one isolate, were from Fv-1bb mice only. C57BL/6 mice were positive for both N- and B-tropic viruses, whereas DDD-Fvr mice were negative. With respect to the Fv-1 genotype and the presence of endogenous murine leukemia viruses, the partially inbred lines were grouped into five types: (i) Fv-1bb, both N- and B-tropic virus positive, like C57BL/6; (ii) Fv-1nn, virus negative, like DDD-Fvr; (iii) Fv-1bb, virus negative; (iv) Fv-1nn, only N-tropic virus positive; and (v) less convincingly, Fv-1bb, only B-tropic virus positive. These findings indicate that the transmission of N- and B-tropic viruses in C57BL/6 is genetically controlled and that the expression of B-tropic virus, but not of N-tropic virus, is closely associated with the Fv-1 genotype.     

N-Tropic variants obtained after co-infection with N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses.

Sc-1 cells co-infected with small XC plaque-forming N-tropic and large XC plaque-forming B-tropic murine leukemia viruses produced, in addition to parental types, progeny with the phenotype, large XC plaque morphology, and N-tropism. This phenotype remained stable through end point titration and plaque purification on NIH/3T3 cells and growth on BALB/3T3 cells. These N-tropic viruses (XLP-N virus) grow to unusually high titer and make very large XC plaques.     

Phenotypic mixing between N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses: infectious particles with dual sensitivity to Fv-1 restriction.

In effort to understand how N or B tropism is determined in murine leukemia virus (MuLV) particles, we analyzed the MuLV produced after dual infection of mouse cells by N- and B-tropic MuLV. The progeny MuLV from such a mixed infection are sensitive to Fv-1 restriction in both N- and B-type cells, but are still highly infectious for mouse cells which do not exhibit Fv-1 restriction. This dual sensitivity to Fv-1 restriction is a phenotypic property of MuLV produced by mixedly infected cells, since individual virus clones derived from this MuLV are either N- or B-tropic. In further experiments, we superinfected murine sarcoma virus (MSV)-transformed cells with mixtures of N- and B-tropic MuLVs. The rescued MSV is restricted in its ability to transforms both N- and B-type cells. The results suggest that N- and B-tropic MuLVs specify different determinants, which are incorporated into virions along with the viral genome and which are the recognition sites for Fv-1 restriction. The presence of a given determinant in a virion renders the virus sensitive to restriction in cells of the opposite Fv-1 type.     

Genomic complexities of murine leukemia and sarcoma, reticuloendotheliosis, and visna viruses.

The genetic complexities of several ribodeoxyviruses were measured by quantitative analysis of unique RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides from 60-70S viral RNAs. Moloney murine leukemia virus was found to have an RNA complexity of 3.5 x 10(6) daltons, whereas Moloney murine sarcoma virus had a significantly smaller genome size of 2.3 x 10(6). Reticuleondotheliosis and visna virus RNAs had complexities of 3.9 x 10(6), respectively. Analysis of RNase A-resistant oligonucleotides of Rous sarcoma virus RNA gave a complexity of 3.6 x 10(6), similar to that previously obtained with RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides. Since each of these viruses was found to have a unique sequence genomic complexity near the molecular weight of a single 30-40S viral RNA subunit, it was concluded that ribodeoxyvirus genomes are at least largely polyploid.     

Biochemical analysis of murine leukemia viruses isolated from radiation-induced leukemias of strain BALB/c.

Murine leukemia viruses isolated from radiation-induced BALB/c leukemias were characterized with respect to viral proteins and RNA. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the viral structural proteins revealed that for p12, p15, p30, and gp70, three of four electrophoretic variants of each could be detected. There was no correlation found between any of these mobilities and N- or B-tropism of the viruses. Proteins of all xenotropic viral isolates were identical in their gel electrophoretic profiles. The similar phenotypes of multiple viral clones from individual leukemias and of isolates grown in different cells suggest that the polymorphism of ecotropic viruses was generated in vivo rather than during in vitro virus growth. By two-dimensional fingerprinting of RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides from 70S viral DNA, the previously reported association of N- and B-tropism with two distinct oligonucleotides was confirmed. The presence of two other oligonucleotides was correlated with positive and negative phenotypes of the virus-coded GIX cell surface antigen. The RNAs of two B-tropic isolates with distinctive p15 and p12 phenotypes differed from the RNA of a prototype N-tropic virus by the absence of three oligonucleotides mapping in the 5' portion (gag region) of the prototype RNA. In addition, one small-plaque B-tropic virus displayed extensive changes in the RNA sequences associated with the env region of the prototype.     

Genomes of murine leukemia viruses isolated from wild mice.

The genomes of murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) isolated from wild mice have been studied. Detailed restriction endonuclease maps of the 8.8-kilobase (kb) unintegrated linear viral DNAs were derived for five ecotropic and five amphotropic MuLV's from California field mice, for Friend MuLV, and for one ecotropic and one xenotropic MuLV from Mus musculus castaneus. In general, the California MuLV's were similar in their leftward 6 kb (corresponding to the leftward long terminal repeat [LTR], gag, and pol) and rightward 1 kb (7.8 to 8.8 kb, corresponding to p15E and the rightward LTR). For the region spanning 6.0 to 7.7 kb (which includes the sequences that encode gp70) the amphotropic MuLV's shared few enzyme sites with the ecotropic MuLV's, although the California ecotropic MuLV's were highly related to each other in this region, as were the amphotropic MuLV's. Cross-hybridization studies between amphotropic and California ecotropic MuLV DNAs indicated that they were not homologous in the region 6.3 to 7.6 kb; the California ecotropic viral DNAs cross-hybridized in this region to AKR ecotropic MuLV. When the California viral DNAs were compared with AKR ecotropic viral DNA, many differences in enzyme sites were noted throughout the genome. The U3 regions of the wild mouse LTRs showed partial homology to this region in AKR MuLV. The LTR of Moloney MuLV was highly related to that of the California MuLV's, whereas the LTR of Friend MuLV appeared to be a recombinant between the two types of LTRs. The M. musculus castaneus isolates were most closely related to ecotropic and xenotropic MuLV's isolated from inbred mice. One amphotropic MuLV DNA was cloned from supercoiled viral DNA at its unique EcoRI site in pBR322. Viral DNAs with one and two LTRs were isolated. After digestion with EcoRI, DNAs of both types were infectious. It is concluded that ecotropic and amphotropic MuLV's differ primarily in the region which encodes gp70.     

Origin of the minor glycoproteins of murine leukemia viruses.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis and immunoprecipitation were used to study glycoproteins from purified Rauscher murine leukemia virus (R-MuLV) and from AKR thymic lymphoblastoid cell membranes. In addition to gp70, a minor glycoprotein of approximately 52,000 daltons (gp52) was demonstrated in purified R-MuLV preparations, which was antigenically related to gp70. Analysis of R-MuLV glycopeptides obtained after exhaustive Pronase digestion showed that gp70 has at least two different glycopeptide size classes with molecular weights of 5,100 and 2,900, respectively. gp52, however, contained only a single glycopeptide size class of approximately 5,100 daltons, indicating that the two glycoproteins contain distinct carbohydrate components. Trypsin treatment of R-MuLV converted gp70 into a product with a molecular mass of approximately 52,000 daltons as well as a 45,000-dalton minor product, with little effect on virus infectivity. Similarly, trypsin treatment of 125I-labeled glycoproteins derived from AKR mouse lymphoblastoid cell membranes generated fragments antigenically related to gp70 and similar in size to those obtained by trypsin treatment of R-MuLV. In both cases, the appearance of cleavage products was accompanied by a decrease in gp70 during trypsin treatment. The occurrence of glycosylated components antigenically related to gp70 in AKR membrane glycoprotein preparations and in purified R-MuLV preparations which were similar to those generated by trypsin treatment supports the concept that these minor components arise from proteolytic cleavage of gp70.     

Expression of murine leukemia viruses in the highly lymphomatous BXH-2 recombinant inbred mouse strain

Among 12 recombinant inbred strains of mice derived from crossing two strains, C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ, which have a low incidence of neoplastic disease, one strain (BXH-2) has been found to have a high incidence of lymphoma, of non-T-cell origin, at an early age. The BXH-2 strain carries the Fv-1b allele and spontaneously expresses a B-tropic murine leukemia virus beginning at as early as 10 days of gestation and continuing throughout their life. No significant differences in ecotropic virus titers were observed at any age tested (16 to 17 days of gestation through 7 months), whereas xenotropic virus was first detected in lymphoid tissues of 2-month-old mice and virus titers increased with age. Dual tropic virus(es), which induced cytopathic changes on mink lung cells, was isolated from BXH-2 lymphomatous tissues. Unlike AKR mink lung focus-forming virus (N-tropic recombinant), BXH-2 dual tropic virus is B tropic and induces cytopathic changes in mouse fibroblast cultures as well. The BXH-2 mouse provides a model system for studying the role of replication-competent viruses in spontaneously occurring leukemias of non-T-cell lineage and neurological disease.     

T1 oligonucleotides that segregate with tropism and with properties of gp70 in recombinants between N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses.

We have analyzed large RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides derived from the genomes of 16 recombinants between N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses of BALB/c. The parental viruses, designated SP-N and LP-B, differ in several phenotypic or biochemically defined properties: N- or B-tropism; XC plaque morphology, electrophoretic mobility of three virion proteins (p15, p30, and gp70); ability to induce GIX antigen on infected cells; presence of 6 to 8 (out of 36 to 38 analyzable) large T1 oligonucleotides. One SP-N-specific T1 oligonucleotide was inherited by all 16 N-tropic recombinants and, thus, appears to be linked to N-tropism. This oligonucleotide lies in the 5' third of the oligonucleotide map of SP-N. One LP-B-specific T1 oligonucleotide was inherited by all 11 recombinants whose gp70 has an electrophoretic mobility like that of LP-B gp70 and that, like LP-B, fail to induce GIX antigen. This oligonucleotide lies in the 3' third of the oligonucleotide map of LP-B.     

Inherited resistance to N- and B-tropic murine leukemia viruses in vitro: titration patterns in strains SIM and SIM.R congenic at the Fv-1 locus.

We have investigated the titration patterns of murine leukemia viruses on mouse embryo cultures derived from a pair of congenic strains differing at the Fv-1 locus. XC plaque and infectious center assays carried out with N- and B-tropic viruses on both SIM (Fv-1nn) and SIM.R(Fv-1bb) host cells yielded results that were best approximated by Poisson one-hit curves. Titration curves of N-tropic virus by direct XC plaque assay were linear and parallel on the different hosts, with titers 1.8 to 2.7 log10 lower on SIM.R and on (SIM X SIM.R)F1 than on SIM cells; similar linear and parallel curves were found for B-tropic virus, with titers 1.4 to 2.0 log10 lower on SIM and (SIM XSIM-R)F1 than on SIM-R cells. In the infectious center assays, the proportion of infected cells was linearly related to multiplicity of infection on both permissive (N- on SIM and B- on SIM.R) restrictive (B- on SIM and N- on SIM.R) genotypes at multiplicities of infection below 0.5; the line relating the variables was about 1 log10 lower in the restrictive than in the permissive situations. At multiplicities of infection where the proportion of infected cells reached a plateau, differences between the results on permissive and restrictive genotypes were considerably reduced. This appeared to be due to the action of non-Fv-1 factors in permissive host. We conclude that the major action of the restrictive allele at the Fv-1 locus in this system is to reduce the probability of successful murine leukemia virus infection without a change in hitness.