The Kirsten murine sarcoma virus induces rat thyroid carcinomas in vivo

The injection of a retrovirus carrying the v-ras-Ki oncogene into the thyroid gland of adult Fischer rats induces thyroid carcinomas when associated with a treatment of the animals with a goitrogenic agent. More than one hundred adult Fischer rats have been treated with the goitrogen agent propylthiouracil in order to induce thyroid hyperplasia. Twenty days after treatment, rat thyroid glands, surgically prepared, were injected with the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (KiMSV). Within three months more than 90% of the animals developed thyroid tumors. Histologically the tumors had the appearance of well differentiated carcinomas. Thirty animals had lung metastases in addition to the thyroid carcinoma. The presence of KiMSV specific transcripts and the specific transforming protein (p21) in thyroid carcinomas and in the metastases was detected by Northern blot analysis and immunoprecipitation, respectively. Only three rats, among thirty that had not received the goitrogen treatment, but only the injection with KiMSV, developed thyroid carcinomas of very small size and with a very long latency period (almost one year). The results described represent the first instance of thyroid carcinoma induction by retroviruses. This system may be regarded as a useful model to investigate the process of thyroid carcinogenesis in vivo. These results suggest that this model may also be useful for investigating the interaction between hormones and cells harboring the activated oncogene in the development of thyroid carcinoma since activated ras oncogenes have been implicated in human thyroid carcinoma.