Rauscher Spleen Focus-forming Virus: Biological Properties and Relationship to Helper Viruses

• Published in: Journal of general virology 1982-11, Vol.63 (1), p.45-56
• Main Authors: Mol, J. N. M, Ostertag, W, Bilello, J, Stoof, T. J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Line; Defective Viruses; Erythropoiesis; Erythropoietin - pharmacology; Helper Viruses - physiology; Leukemia Virus, Murine - genetics; Leukemia Virus, Murine - physiology; Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute; Mice; Oligoribonucleotides - analysis; Rauscher Virus - genetics; Rauscher Virus - physiology; RNA, Viral - analysis; Viral Envelope Proteins; Viral Proteins - analysis
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-63-1-45

1 Department of Genetics, Free University, De Boelelan 1087, 1007 Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2 Heinrich-Pette-Institut, University of Hamburg, Martinistrasse 52, 2000 Hamburg 20, Federal Republic of Germany 3 Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. and 4 Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Erasmus University, P.O. Box 1738, Rotterdam, The Netherlands A Rauscher virus (RV)-transformed erythroid cell line, RA-1, was shown to be a non-producer cell line. RA-1 cells express not only gp51–54 env -related glycoprotein, but also gp70, which is more closely related to gp51–54 coded by a recombinant env gene than to the MuLV-R gp70. RA-1 cells could be infected by Friend, Moloney and Gross viruses, but not by the homologous Rauscher murine leukaemia virus. Rescue of spleen focus-forming activity was obtained on infection of these cells with MuLV-F or MuLV-Mol, but not with MuLV-Gross. The RNA of the RV complex resembles closely that of Friend virus (FV). It contains a 32S, presumably defective, genome, which most likely is responsible for spleen focus formation, and a 35S helper virus genome. Oligonucleotide fingerprint data suggest that RV has evolved independently of FV. Erythroid early BFU-E cells of mice infected with RV of Friend helper virus-infected RA-1 cells were shown to require no addition of conditioned medium to form large erythroid colonies (BFU-E) in the presence of only small amounts of erythropoietin. Keywords: Rauscher virus, Friend virus, spleen focus-forming virus, BPA independence Received 26 March 1982; accepted 8 June 1982.