Surface antigens on transplantable tumor cell lines producing mouse type C viruses

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Oncology

Background:

• Transplantable mouse tumor lines frequently harbor murine type C viruses and associated antigens.
• The correlation between tumor induction methods and detected viral antigens is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and characteristics of murine type C viruses and their associated antigens in transplantable mouse tumor lines.
• To understand the influence of in vivo and in vitro passage on viral antigen expression.
• To determine the relationship between infectious virus and cell-surface antigens.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and characterization of murine type C viruses from various transplantable mouse tumor lines.
• Analysis of virus-associated antigens using in vivo and in vitro passage models.
• Infection of indicator cell lines with isolated viruses to assess antigen acquisition.

Main Results:

• Consistent viral isolates were obtained from tumor lines, with stable host range in tissue culture.
• Significant alterations in virus-associated cell-surface antigens were observed during in vivo transplantation and in vitro culture.
• Retransplantation of cultured cells led to antigen pattern recovery and acquisition of new antigens.
• Infected indicator cells acquired some, but not all, antigens present in the original tumor lines.

Conclusions:

• Long-term transplanted cell lines can harbor multiple type C viruses.
• Environmental and host cell factors play a crucial role in modulating the expression of virus-associated antigens.
• The study highlights the dynamic nature of viral antigen expression in tumors.