The effect of cell extracts of urological tumours on adenovirus mutants

Various tumours of the urogenital system were studied whether their cells contain gene products characteristic of functioning adenovirus genes. Complementation studies were made by using tumour cell extracts and two temperature-sensitive adenovirus mutants at restrictive and permissive temperatures. The procedure was applied in in vitro HEp-2 cell culture. It was found that cell extracts of bladder tumour, renal tumour, malignant bladder papilloma and of penis cancer are capable of complementing adenovirus mutants at restrictive temperature, i.e. they induce the reproduction of virus mutants being otherwise incapable of replication. Thus, functioning adenovirus genes are present in the tumour cells. It seems that virus genes together with hormonal changes activate the cell protooncogenes giving rise to and maintaining tumours.