Characterization of guinea pig C-type virus

Normal and dystrophic embryonic chicken pectoralis muscle cultures: III. Viral infection of normal cell cultures

Twelve-day normal and dystrophic chick embryo breast muscle cells were cultured for up to 14 days, using normal embryo extract in the culture medium. Fluorodeoxyuridine was added on day 3 to suppress fibroblast overgrowth. Three of 6 experiments with normal cells were severely infected with avian leucosis/sarcoma (ALS) virus particles. The findings appear to lend support to the suggestion that the ALS virus is a mitochondriophage. Infected cultures demonstrated a depressed rate of total protein synthesis as reflected by incorporation of [3H]leucine. Extractable protein and total protein content were also depressed within several days after ALS particles were identified. These findings reinforce caution in acceptance of the common assumption that viral infections are an unavoidable and metabolically benign component of muscle cell cultures.

Morphological evidence for the presence of the endogenous guinea-pig retravirus in the lymphoblasts of L2C leukemia

Peripheral blood samples of a transplantable guinea-pig leukemia revealed that, only during the terminal stages of the disease, leukemic cells produce virus particles indistinguishable from the RNA tumor viruses of the Retraviridae family genus Oncorna virus B.

Chick muscle in tissue culture: the ubiquity of viral infection

In chick skeletal muscle fibers cultured from embryos of commercially obtained "normal" eggs we have demonstrated numerous C-particles and large amounts of avian leucosis/sarcoma envelope antigen, especially when cultured in the presence of dinitrophenol. C-particles were present in t-tubules, which were possible intracellular viaducts of infection or dissemination and perhaps were the loci of receptors of viral invasion of the cytoplasm and sites of egress. The abundant lace-like membraneous proliferations, probably of t-tubules, usually had C-particles adjacent to or within them and perhaps were virus-provoked. Questioned is the validity of using cultured muscle, or extract, of embryos from ordinary chicken eggs for analysing normal biological phenomena--or conversely, is viral influence "normal" in chick development?

Stimulation of Herpesvirus saimiri expression in the absence of evidence for type C virus activation in a marmoset lymphoid cell line

Nucleic acid base analogues were used to examine a Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS)-infected marmoset lymphoid cell line (MLC-1) for possible association with type C viruses. Synthetic templates poly(rA).d(pT)(10) and poly(dA).d(pT)(10) were used to detect RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity in 100-fold concentrated tissue culture fluids. HVS was monitored by immunofluorescence for early, late, and membrane antigens. MLC-1 cells were exposed to 30 mug of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BUdR) per ml for 24 h and examined daily. Similar experiments used 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IUdR) (20 mug/ml) for 30 h or IUdR (20 mug/ml) for 3 days followed by 2% dimethyl sulfoxide for 4 days. Results of these experiments failed to show any type C virus-like polymerase; however, HVS expression was greatly stimulated. BUdR and IUdR enhanced expression of HVS-associated antigens five- to sevenfold, with maximal stimulation being observed 3 to 4 days after removal of the analogue. IUdR-dimethyl sulfoxide treatment was generally less effective. Although more cells showed HVS antigens, the treatments did not increase cell-free infectious virus. The data suggest that HVS-infected lymphoid cells can be stimulated to express virus in a manner similar to that of the Epstein-Barr virus in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. No evidence of type C virus was found in stimulated cultures.

Endogenous guinea pig virus: equability of virus-specific DNA in normal, leukemic, and virus-producing cells

The kinetics of hybrid formation between the RNA of BrdU-activated endogenous guinea pig virus and the DNA of leukemic, normal, or BrdU-activated guinea pig cells were measured by the technique of RNA.DNA hybridization in DNA excess. The results suggest that virus-specific sequences representing some 60-70% of the viral genome are unique (2-3 copies per haploid cell genome), while the remainder (30-40%) are reiterated (147 copies), and that the reiterated virus-specific DNA may be composed of more than one species, each having a different reiteration frequency. No difference was found in the quantity of viral DNA sequences contained in normal, leukemic, or bromodeoxyuridine-activated guinea pig cells. These data are considerably different from those reported for exogenous (infectious) oncornaviruses, where cells infected or transformed by exogenous RNA tumor viruses have been shown to contain increased amounts of virus-specific DNA. The data reported here are consistent with the contention that preexisting viral genes are activated by bromodeoxyuridine treatment. Results of hybridization experiments done at different DNA/RNA ratios suggest that although the virus-specific DNA is partly unique and partly reiterated, the viral RNA does not contain any detectable internal reiteration. Total mass of the viral RNA sequences is around 0.7 to 1 x 10(7) daltons.