Partial transcription of murine type C viral genomes in BALB c cell lines

The mouse cell line, BALB/c 3T3, and its derivatives transformed either spontaneously or by treatment with a variety of external agents, were analyzed for cytoplasmic RNA complementary to DNA products prepared from the Kirsten strain of murine sarcoma-leukemia virus, and from an endogenous type C virus of BALB/c 3T3. Although none of these cell lines spontaneously releases complete type C virions, they all contain RNA which is partially homologous to a portion of the 35S RNA isolated from these viruses. The parental cell line, BALB/c 3T3, contains a low level of viral-related RNA, and there is an increased amount of this RNA in some of the transformed cells. The RNA detected represents only a fraction of the viral RNA found in virus-producing cells. The formation of RNA:DNA hybrids was detected by equilibrium centrifugation in Cs(2)SO(4) density gradients and by analysis with a single-strand-specific nuclease from Aspergillus oryzae. Viral DNA products prepared either from an endogenous reaction with whole virus in the presence of actinomycin D or from purified 70S viral RNA as template using avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase yield comparable data. In addition, all of the BALB/c lines examined produce detectable levels of murine type C virus group-specific antigen.