Stimulation of erythropoietic differentiation in BALB/c mice infected with Rauscher leukemia virus

The function of phenylhydrazine (PHZ) hemolysis in ameliorating the anemia induced in mice by a slow-acting strain of Rauscher leukemia virus (RLV-A) was described. After cessation of treatment with PHZ, mid-stage RLV-A-infected, anemic mice responded with massive reticulocytoses and a rebound in hematocrit above control levels. RLV-infected mice, subjected to PHZ-induced hemolysis or phlebotomy, produced high levels of plasma erythropoietin (Ep); this suggested that Ep mediated the PHZ-induced differentiation. In addition, administration of exogenous Ep induced a wave of erythroid maturation in RLV-infected anemic mice, which indicated that virus-infected erythroid precursors could still respond to the hormone governing normal differentiation.