Interactions between viral and genetic factors in the origin of mammary tumors in mice
article
Resistance to the oncogenic effect of a murine mammary tumor is controlled by a few genes. It is associated with poor replication of the virus. A battery of tests, including electron microscopy, immunodiffusion, immunofluorescence, and bioassay, demonstrated the presence of a mammary tumor virus in 7 genetically diverse mouse strains. The virus was often expressed in an incomplete form and usually at a late age. Switching on of virus release correlated well with spontaneous tumor incidences. Carcinogens, such as X rays and urethan, induced the early appearance of viral antigens. These findings strongly suggest an all-viral etiology of mammary cancer in mice. It is theorized that every mouse contains genetic information for a mammary tumor virus, which is in the form of a DNA copy of the viral RNA integrated into one of its chromosomes. The transcription of this germinal provirus is regulated by a repressor, but other controlling mechanisms are also involved, leading sometimes to partial expression
TNO Identifier
354979
Source
Journal of the National cancer institute, 48(4), pp. 1089-1094.
Pages
1089-1094
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