Activation of Leukemia Viruses by Graft-Versus-Host and Mixed Lymphocyte Reactions In Vitro

  1. M. S. Hirsch*,
  2. S. M. Phillips†,
  3. C. Solnik‡,
  4. P. H. Black*,
  5. R. S. Schwartz‡, and
  6. C. B. Carpenter†
  1. *Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02114 and 02115, respectively
  2. †Department of Medicine, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02114 and 02115, respectively
  3. ‡Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, Massachusetts 02111

Abstract

Spleen cells from BALB/c or CAF1 mice released little or no detectable leukemia virus when cultured 2-7 days in vitro. In contrast, spleen cells of CAF1 mice previously inoculated with parental BALB/c spleen cells released leukemia viruses in 10 of 11 cases studied. Cultures of a mixture of spleen cells from normal BALB/c and CAF1 mice also contained leukemia viruses. Phytohemagglutinin induced the transformation of lymphocytes in cultures of CAF1 or BALB/c spleen cells, but this transformation did not activate leukemia viruses. It is concluded that mixed lymphocyte cultures in vitro, just as graft-versus-host reactions in vivo, can activate leukemia viruses that are normally present in a repressed form. This activation is not solely a function of lymphocyte transformation. The activated mouse leukemia virus may subsequently account for the observed high incidence of neoplasia in graft-versus-host disease.

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  1. PNAS 1972-05 vol. 69 no. 5 1069-1072
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