Endogenous retroviral env expression in primary murine leukemias: Lack of xenotropic antigens but presence of distinct mink cell focus-forming env subtypes correlating with ecotropic virus inoculated and mouse strain

The expression of endogenous retroviral env products on primary leukemia cells of mice was studied with the use of a panel of monoclonal antibodies that discriminate between the various classes of murine leukemia viruses [MuLVs; ecotropic, xenotropic, and mink cell focus-forming (MCF)], as well as between various subtypes within each class. Most spontaneous AKR or Friend MuLV (F-MuLV)- or Moloney MuLV (M-MuLV)-induced AKR or NFS mouse leukemia cells expressed no xenotropic viral envelope antigens but always expressed MCF proteins. Spontaneous C58 lymphomas, on the other hand, often expressed xenotropic proteins in addition to MCF proteins. The subtype of MCF envelope antigens present on leukemia cells, as well as on isolated MCF viruses, varied in a reproducible manner, depending on the mouse strain inoculated and the ecotropic virus used (F-MuLV or M-MuLV). Specifically, F-MuLV consistently induced certain type(s) of MCF envelope antigens on leukemia cells of NFS mice, whereas M-MuLV induced different ones. Similar antigenic patterns were found on the MCF viruses isolated from these mice. Furthermore, MCF envelope antigens (on viruses or leukemia cells) induced in NFS mice by M-MuLV differed from those induced in AKR mice. This finding demonstrated a mouse strain influence on the endogenous MCF env sequences expressed following infection by a given ecotropic virus. The endogenous MCF env sequences in mice thus appear to be a set of genes highly expressed during leukemogenesis, with particular ones specifically expressed in a given mouse strain infected with a given ecotropic virus.