Viral genes involved in leukemogenesis. I. Generation of recombinants between oncogenic and nononcogenic mouse type-C viruses in tissue culture

Genetic recombination of human immunodeficiency virus

We investigated genetic recombination of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a tissue culture system. A clonal cell line expressing a single integrated HIV provirus with a termination codon affecting pol gene expression was transfected with different defective mutants derived from an infectious molecular clone of HIV. Replication-competent viral particles were recovered, passaged, and plaque purified. Restriction analyses of the proviral DNA corresponding to several of these viruses indicated that their emergence was the result of genetic recombination.

Fv-1 N- and B-tropism-specific sequences in murine leukemia virus and related endogenous proviral genomes

Oligonucleotide probes specific for the Fv-1 N- and B-tropic host range determinants of the gag p30-coding sequence were used to analyze DNA clones of various murine leukemia virus (MuLV) and endogenous MuLV-related proviral genomes and chromosomal DNA from four mouse strains. The group of DNA clones consisted of ecotropic MuLVs of known Fv-1 host range, somatically acquired ecotropic MuLV proviruses, xenotropic MuLV isolates, and endogenous nonecotropic MuLV-related proviral sequences from mouse chromosomal DNA. As expected, the prototype N-tropism determinant is carried by N-tropic viruses of several different origins. All seven endogenous nonecotropic MuLV-related proviral sequence clones derived from RFM/Un mouse chromosomal DNA, although not recognized by the N probe, showed positive hybridization with the prototype B-tropism-specific probe. The two xenotropic MuLV clones derived from infectious virus (one of BALB:virus-2 and one of AKR xenotropic virus) failed to hybridize with the N- and B-tropic oligonucleotide probes tested and with one probe specific for NB-tropic Moloney MuLV. One of two endogenous xenotropic class proviruses derived from HRS/J mouse chromosomal DNA (J. P. Stoye and J. M. Coffin, J. Virol. 61:2659-2669, 1987) also failed to hybridize to the N- and B-tropic probes, whereas the other hybridized to the B-tropic probe. In addition, analysis of mouse chromosomal DNA from four strains indicates that hybridization with the N-tropic probe correlates with the presence or absence of endogenous ecotropic MuLV provirus, whereas the B-tropic probe detects abundant copies of endogenous nonecotropic MuLV-related proviral sequences. These results suggest that the B-tropism determinant in B-tropic ecotropic MuLV may arise from recombination between N-tropic ecotropic MuLV and members of the abundant endogenous nonecotropic MuLV-related classes including a subset of endogenous xenotropic proviruses.

Mutants of murine leukemia viruses and retroviral replication

The analysis of retroviral mutants has played a critical role in the development of our understanding of the complex viral life cycle. The most fundamental result of that analysis has been the definition of the replication functions encoded by the viruses. From a biochemical examination of a particular step in the life cycle it is difficult to determine, for example, whether that step is catalyzed by a viral or a host enzyme; but the isolation of a viral mutant defective in that step can firmly establish that a viral function is involved. In this way many facts about the viruses have been established. We know that reverse transcriptase is encoded by the virus; that RNAase H and DNA polymerase activities reside on the same gene product; that processing of many precursor proteins is mediated by a viral proteinase; and that establishment of the integrated provirus requires a viral protein. The list of functions mediated by viral enzymes has largely been defined by the mutants isolated and studied in various laboratories. The second significant result of the studies of viral mutants has been the assignation of the replication functions to particular viral genes, and then more specifically to particular domains of these genes. Mutants and viral variants have been essential in the determination, for example, that the gag protein is the critical gene product for the assembly of a virion particle; that the env protein is the determinant of species specificity of infection; or that the LTR is a major determinant of tissue tropism and leukemogenicity. The subdivisions of functions within a given gene have similarly hinged on mutants. Genetic mapping was needed to establish that P30 is the most important region for assembly; that the proteinase and integrase functions reside, respectively, in the 5' and 3' portions of the pol gene; and that the glycosylated gag protein is dispensable for replication. A third important area of knowledge has depended heavily on viral mutants: the determination of host functions and proteins that interact with viral proteins. Variant viruses with altered or restricted host ranges serve to define differences between pairs of different host cells, and the mapping of the viral mutations serves to define the viral protein important in that interaction with the host. These studies are only in their infancy, but it is clear that substantial efforts will be made to further analyze these host functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cytoskeleton-associated Pr65gag and assembly of retrovirus temperature-sensitive mutants in chronically infected cells

Certain temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) were observed to be defective in virus assembly. These mutants also accumulated intracellular core protein precursor, Pr65gag, at 39 degrees, the nonpermissive temperature. At 39 degrees, virions released from cells infected with the various ts mutants also contained elevated levels of Pr65gag relative to virions released at 33 degrees, the permissive temperature. Detergent extraction of pulse-labeled cells with Nonidet P-40 (NP-40) generated an NP-40-insoluble cytoskeleton-enriched fraction. Reextraction of this fraction with deoxycholate followed by gel electrophoresis of solubilized, immunoprecipitated viral proteins showed that in Moloney MuLV (Mo-MuLV) ts3-infected cells, and in Rauscher MuLV (R-MuLV) ts17- and ts24-infected cells, increased amounts of intracellular viral Pr65gag rapidly become associated with the cytoskeleton-enriched fraction during pulse labeling at nonpermissive temperature. Furthermore, examination of cell extracts from chase-incubated cells infected with these ts mutants revealed that Pr65gag accumulated in the cytoskeleton-enriched fraction at 39 degrees but not at 33 degrees. During steady-state labeling, as much as half of the intracellular Pr65gag becomes associated with the cytoskeleton-enriched fraction (i.e., is not solubilized by NP-40) at 39 degrees. At permissive temperature only 10-15% of the intracellular Pr65gag is cytoskeleton associated. In contrast, cells infected with R-MuLV ts25 or ts26 showed little or no preferential localization of Pr65gag in the cytoskeleton-enriched cell fraction during a short pulse at 39 degrees, but Pr65gag accumulated in both the NP-40-soluble and -insoluble fractions during a chase incubation relative to the condition at 33 degrees. Based upon these and previous results (Edbauer and Naso, 1983), models for retrovirus assembly are described in which the association of Pr65gag with the cell membrane and cytoskeleton plays a critical role in virus assembly, budding, and postbudding maturation.

Fv-1 determinants in xenotropic murine leukemia viruses studied with biological assay systems: Isolation of xenotropic virus with N-tropic Fv-1 activity in the cryptic form

By a biological assay system using phenotypically mixed ecotropic and xenotropic murine leukemia viruses, we investigated whether in the virions of a xenotropic virus there is N- or B-tropic Fv-1 determinant in active form. The existence of N-tropic Fv-1 determinant was demonstrated in SL-XT-1 xenotropic virus isolated from the spleen of a 3-month-old SL mouse, and the N-tropic Fv-1 tropism was confirmed by analysis of the phenotypically mixed viruses harvested from clonal SC-1 cells doubly infected with the SL-XT-1 and B-tropic ecotropic viruses. However, neither N- nor B-tropic Fv-1 determinant was demonstrated in any xenotropic viruses isolated from embryo cells of BALB/c, NZB, or DBA/2 mice, or Cas E #1-IU, and xenotropic-like virus isolated from a wild mouse.

Characterization of a highly oncogenic murine leukemia virus from wild mice

We have isolated a highly lymphomagenic wild mouse virus by passage of a weakly oncogenic amphotropic murine leukaemia virus (MuLV-A) in NIH Swiss mice. This virus is similar in host range, interference and neutralization properties to that of the inoculated amphotropic virus but is distinct from it biochemically and causes lymphomas in 90-100% of mice within 1-2 months. Our results indicate that this highly oncogenic virus is a recombinant of wild mouse MuLV-A and sequences related to env gene region of the endogenous xenotropic virus of NIH Swiss mice.

Recombinants between temperature-sensitive mutants of rauscher murine leukemia virus and BALB:virus-2: genetic mapping of the Rauscher murine leukemia virus genome

Recombinant viruses were generated in tissue culture between Rauscher murine leukemia virus (MuLV) temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants restricted at different steps in virus replication and a mouse endogenous xenotropic virus, BALB:virus-2. Mutants used included ts 28, a late mutant which releases noninfectious viruses at 39 degrees C, and ts 29, a double mutant with a ts lesion in its reverse transcriptase and a late block affecting virus budding. Immunological typing of the translational products of clonal recombinant viruses made it possible to establish their partial genetic maps and localize regions of the viral genome affected by different ts lesions. Recombinants involving Rauscher MuLV ts 28 invariably contained BALB-virus-2 p15, p12, and p30 proteins, localizing the late defect in replication by this mutant to the 5' moiety of the viral gag gene. All ts 29-derived recombinants contained the entire BALB:virus-2 gag and pol genes. Substitution of the pol gene is in agreement with the reported thermolability of Rauscher MuLV ts 29 reverse transcriptase (Tronick et al., J. Virol. 16:1476-1482, 1975). Substitution of the gag gene suggests that internal structural proteins are actively involved in the virus budding processing. Rauscher MuLV recombinants were used to establish the genetic map of the Rauscher MuLV genome by T1 oligonucleotide fingerprinting analysis. Detection of Rauscher MuLV T1 oligonucleotides in representative recombinant viruses, whose protein phenotypes were established by immunological techniques, permitted their assignment to specific regions of the viral genome. The genetic map of Rauscher MuLV generated in these studies should be useful for identifying and characterizing the viral gene(s) involved in leukemogenesis.