Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Transforming genes of neoplasms induced by avian lymphoid leukosis viruses

Nature volume 287, pages 656–659 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

Oncogenic avian retroviruses can be classified into three groups: sarcoma viruses, acute leukaemia viruses and lymphoid leukosis viruses (LLVs)1. Sarcoma and acute leukaemia viruses transform fibroblasts and/or haematopoietic cells in culture and induce tumours with short latent periods in infected birds. In contrast, LLVs do not transform cells in vitro and require long latent periods before formation of neoplasms in vivo. The most frequent neoplasm induced by LLVs is malignant lymphoma of the bursa of Fabricius, but LLVs also induce other neoplasms, including sarcomas, nephroblastomas and erythroblastosis2. The genomes of both sarcoma and acute leukaemia viruses contain specific genes responsible for viral oncogenicity1,3–5, whereas the genome of LLVs apparently includes only genes required for virus replication. The genetic basis for the low oncogenic potential of LLVs is therefore obscure. The present experiments indicate that LLV-induced tumours contain transforming genes that can be detected by transfection of NIH 3T3 mouse cells. These transforming genes are not linked to LLV DNA sequences, suggesting that oncogenesis by LLVs may result from indirect activation of cellular transforming genes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hanafusa, H. Compreh. Virol. 10, 401–483 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Graf, T. & Beug, H. Biochim. biophys. Acta 516, 269–299 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Graf, T., Ade, N. & Beug, H. Nature 275, 496–501 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Duesberg, P. H. & Vogt, P. K. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 1633–1637 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Roussel, M. et al. Nature 281, 452–455 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Neiman, P., Payne, L. N. & Weiss, R. A. J. Virol. 34, 178–186 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Andersson, P., Goldfarb, M. P. & Weinberg, R. A. Cell 16, 63–75 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lowy, D. R., Rands, E. & Scolnick, E. M. J. Virol. 26, 291–298 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Copeland, N. G., Zelenetz, A. D. & Cooper, G. M. Cell 17, 993–1002 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Copeland, N. G., Zelenetz, A. D. & Cooper, G. M. Cell 19, 863–870 (1980).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Copeland, N. G. & Cooper, G. M. J. Virol. 33, 1199–1202 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Shih, C., Shilo, B.-Z., Goldfarb, M. P., Dannenberg, A. & Weinberg, R. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 5714–5718 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cooper, G. M., Okenquist, S. & Silverman, L. Nature 284, 418–421 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Southern, E. M. J. molec. Biol. 98, 503–517 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hsu, T. W., Sabran, J. L., Marks, G. E., Guntaka, R. V. & Taylor, J. M. J. Virol. 28, 810–818 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Hughes, S. H. et al. Cell 15, 1397–1410 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sabran, J. L. et al. Virol 29, 170–178 (1979).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Shank, P. R. et al. 15, 1383–1395 (1978).

  19. Spector, D. H., Varmus, H. E. & Bishop, J. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 4102–4106 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Tsichlis, P. N. & Coffin, J. M. J. Virol. 33, 238–249 (1980).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Koshy, R., Wong-Staal, F., Gallo, R. C., Hardy, W. & Essex, M. Virology 99, 135–144 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Neiman, P. E., Payne, L. N., Jordan, L. & Weiss, R. A. Cold Spring Harb. Conf. Cell Proliferation (in the press).

  23. Crittenden, L. B., Witter, R. L., Okazaki, W. & Neiman, P. E. J. natn. Cancer Inst. 63, 191–200 (1979).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. McGrath, M. S. & Weissman, I. L. Cell 17, 65–75 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Witter, R. L. et al. Avian Path. 8, 487–489 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Neiman, P. E., Purchase, H. G. & Okazaki, W. Cell 4, 311–319 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Taylor, J. M., Illmensee, R. & Summers, J. Biochim. biophys. Acta 442, 324–330 (1976).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Rigby, P. W. S., Dieckman, M., Rhodes, C. & Berg, P. J. molec. Biol. 113, 237–251 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Wahl, G. M., Stern, M. & Stark, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 3683–3687 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sidney Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115

    Geoffrey M. Cooper

  2. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, 98104

    Paul E. Neiman

Authors
  1. Geoffrey M. Cooper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul E. Neiman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cooper, G., Neiman, P. Transforming genes of neoplasms induced by avian lymphoid leukosis viruses. Nature 287, 656–659 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/287656a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/287656a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing