scholarly journals Role of the LTR Region between the Enhancer and Promoter in Mink Cell Focus-Forming Murine Leukemia Virus Pathogenesis

Virology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 283 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayth K. Yoshimura ◽  
Tao Wang
Virology ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine Y.K. Armstrong ◽  
Richard B. Weininger ◽  
David Binder ◽  
Carol A. Himsel ◽  
Frank F. Richards

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 2434-2441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Bonzon ◽  
Hung Fan

ABSTRACT Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) is a replication-competent, simple retrovirus that induces T-cell lymphoma with a mean latency of 3 to 4 months. During the preleukemic period (4 to 10 weeks postinoculation) a marked decrease in thymic size is apparent for M-MuLV-inoculated mice in comparison to age-matched uninoculated mice. We were interested in studying whether the thymic regression was due to an increased rate of thymocyte apoptosis in the thymi of M-MuLV-inoculated mice. Neonatal NIH/Swiss mice were inoculated subcutaneously (s.c.) with wild-type M-MuLV (approximately 105 XC PFU). Mice were sacrificed at 4 to 11 weeks postinoculation. Thymic single-cell suspensions were prepared and tested for apoptosis by two-parameter flow cytometry. Indications of apoptosis included changes in cell size and staining with 7-aminoactinomycin D or annexin V. The levels of thymocyte apoptosis were significantly higher in M-MuLV-inoculated mice than in uninoculated control animals, and the levels of apoptosis were correlated with thymic atrophy. To test the relevance of enhanced thymocyte apoptosis to leukemogenesis, mice were inoculated with the Mo+PyF101 enhancer variant of M-MuLV. When inoculated intraperitoneally, a route that results in wild-type M-MuLV leukemogenesis, mice displayed levels of enhanced thymocyte apoptosis comparable to those seen with wild-type M-MuLV. However, in mice inoculated s.c., a route that results in attenuated leukemogenesis, significantly lower levels of apoptosis were observed. This supported a role for higher levels of thymocyte apoptosis in M-MuLV leukemogenesis. To examine the possible role of mink cell focus-forming (MCF) recombinant virus in raising levels of thymocyte apoptosis, MCF-specific focal immunofluorescence assays were performed on thymocytes from preleukemic mice inoculated with M-MuLV and Mo+PyF101 M-MuLV. The results indicated that infection of thymocytes by MCF virus recombinants is not required for the increased level of apoptosis and thymic atrophy.


1980 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 975-979 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Tung ◽  
E Fleissner

Thymocytes of AKR mice express two species of gp70, the envelope glycoprotein of murine leukemia virus (MuLV), encoded by the env gene. One is denoted Ec+ gp70 in reference to the type-antigen Ec and association with ecotropic virus. The other, Ec- gp70, resembles gp70 found also on thymocytes of mouse strains that are not overt producers of MuLV, and has no evident relation to ecotropic virus. Expression of Ec- gp70 type, but not of Ec+ gp70 type, is amplified with age on AKR thymocytes. In contrast, viral core polyproteins, encoded by the gag gene and simultaneously amplified with age, appear to be related to ecotropic virus. These observations imply selective amplification of products of env and gag genes from two sorts of provirus, a phenomenon which may be connected to the dual genetic origin of recombinant mink-cell-focus inducing viruses in AKR mice.


1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 2289-2297 ◽  
Author(s):  
L S Hwang ◽  
J Park ◽  
E Gilboa

Formation of the Moloney murine leukemia virus envelope mRNA involves the removal of a 5,185-base pair-long intron. Deletion analysis of two Moloney murine leukemia virus-derived expression vectors revealed the existence of two short regions within the viral intron which are required for the efficient formation of the spliced RNA species. One region was present upstream from the 3' splice junction, extended at least 85 nucleotides beyond the splice site, and was not more than 165 nucleotides long. As yeast polymerase II introns, the Moloney murine leukemia virus intron contains the sequence 5'-TACTAAC-3' 15 nucleotides upstream from the 3' splice site. A second region located in the middle of the intron, within a 560-nucleotide-long sequence, was also essential for formation of the spliced RNA species. The efficient splicing of the env mRNA in the absence of expression of viral genes raises the possibility that similar mechanisms are used to remove introns of (some) cellular genes.


1985 ◽  
Vol 162 (5) ◽  
pp. 1579-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Ruscetti ◽  
R Matthai ◽  
M Potter

Using a series of BALB/c mice congenic for various DBA/2 genes, we were able to establish that DBA/2 mice carry a gene on chromosome 5, at or near the Rmcfr locus, that plays a major role in resistance to early erythroleukemia induced by injection of Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) into newborn mice. The fact that this gene controls the replication of mink cell focus-inducing (MCF) viruses strengthens the case for these viruses playing a crucial role in the development of erythroleukemia, since failure to replicate MCF viruses results in resistance to early erythroleukemia. The expression of the Rmcfr gene is correlated with the constitutive expression of an MCF virus-related envelope glycoprotein that apparently blocks the receptor for MCF viruses, preventing their spread. Thus, the Rmcfr gene is either a structural gene for this unique protein, which can block the receptor for MCF viruses, or is a regulatory gene that controls expression of such a structural gene. Although the Rmcfr gene is clearly involved in resistance to the early erythroleukemia induced by F-MuLV, it appears to have no effect on the late myeloid, lymphoid or erythroid diseases that appear in DBA/2 and other strains of mice after injection of F-MuLV, consistent with data indicating that replication of MCF viruses is not required for the development of these late diseases. Our studies with congenic and backcross mice also indicate that, in addition to the Rmcfr gene, other genes of DBA/2 origin may contribute to resistance to F-MuLV-induced early erythroleukemia by mechanisms other than blocking the replication of MCF viruses.


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