A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection and quantitation of murine retroviruses

Specific hybridization primers for the PCR assay were developed to detect the presence of the ecotropic, xenotropic, and mink cell focus-forming classes of murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) in samples derived from cultured cells and cell-free supernatants. The primers, which were tested against reference viruses from all three classes and two subclasses and accurately identified each class present, were used to characterize the endogenous expression of MuLV-related sequences in a number of murine and mink cell lines. Two murine/murine hybridomas were shown to contain expressed retroviral sequences from all three classes. The murine cell lines SC-1, Balb/c 3T3, and NIH 3T3, were found to constitutively express sequences from many of the MuLV classes. These MuLV-related sequences were not expressed in the Mus dunni or mink lung cell lines. When these primers were used in a quantitative PCR assay to determine the retroviral content of hybridoma supernatants, the values were less variable than those obtained by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This assay can be adapted to detect and quantitate any viral contaminant in cell culture supernatants, ascites fluids, process validation samples, and final products.