Mouse strain (STS/A) resistant to mammary tumor induction by hypophysial isografts

Implantation of hypophysial isografts does not lead to induction of mammary tumors in all strains of mice lacking the exogenous murine mammary tumor virus. While O20, C3Hf, and BALB/c females are highly susceptible and C57BL and TSI females are of intermediate susceptibility, the STS females appear to be nearly totally resistant. The resistance of the STS strain is not due to failure of prolactin production by the hypophysial isografts and may therefore be due to a genetically controlled mechanism at target cell level. Neither resistance, i.e., low incidence of mammary tumors (2% in STS), nor susceptibility, i.e., high incidence at low age (93% at 349 days in C3Hf; 83% at 360 days in BALB/c), is dominant. F1 hybrids of strain STS and the two strains C3Hf and BALB/c show high incidences (STS X C3Hf F1, 90%; STS X BALB/c F1, 60%), but the age at which tumors appear (476 and 604 days, respectively) is much higher, suggesting that more than one gene is involved in this type of hormonal carcinogenesis of the mammary gland in mice.