Summary auto-generated
This study investigated the expression of ecotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) in hematopoietic cells of AKR mice during embryonic and neonatal development. Researchers used infectious center assays and colony-forming cell techniques to detect virus-producing cells in bone marrow and spleen. During the embryonic period (days 13-20), no virus-producing cells were detected in hematopoietic organs, despite documented virus presence in bone. However, after birth, virus-producing cells dramatically increased between day 3 and day 12. The researchers identified that granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (hematopoietic precursor cells) represent a major population of these newly appearing virus producers, accounting for at least one-third of virus-producing cells in bone marrow by day 12. Control experiments confirmed that virus-positive colonies resulted from inherent virus production rather than secondary infection during culture. These findings suggest that hematopoietic precursor cells become progressively infected or induced to produce virus during the neonatal period, representing a critical target for antiviral immunotherapy that prevents lymphoma development in AKR mice.
Key findings
- Embryonic hematopoietic cells do not produce ecotropic MuLV despite virus being detected in bone-associated tissues during late gestation
- Granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells begin producing virus around day 3 post-birth and all become virus-positive by day 12
- Hematopoietic precursor cells account for approximately 30-33% of virus-producing cells in neonatal bone marrow
- The neonatal period (days 3-12) shows dramatic increase in virus-producing cell populations in spleen and bone marrow
- Hematopoietic precursors represent major targets for anti-gp71 antibody treatment that prevents viraemia and lymphoma in AKR mice
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Abstract
Cells which produce ecotropic murine leukaemia virus have been detected in the bone marrow and the spleen of weanling AKR mice, using an infectious centre technique based on the XC test. There is a noticeable increase in the number of virusproducing cells between day 3 and day 12 after birth, in both of these organs. Some of the virus-producing cells that appear after day 3 have been identified as haemopoietic precursor cells of the granulocyte-macrophage blood lineage. Such precursor cells do not produce virus during the embryonic period and they progressively become involved in virus production after day 3. By day 12, all of them are active virus producers. Thus, the ecotropic virus is expressed in precursor cells of the haemopoietic system, and the latter represent at least one-third of the virus-producing cells in the bone marrow of young AKR mice.