C-type virus particles in human urogenital tumours after heterotransplantation into nude mice

H Wunderli,D D Mickey,D F Paulson

doi:10.1038/bjc.1979.5

Abstract

C-type viruses were formed in heterotransplants of 5/14 human urogenital tumours which had been serially transferred in nude mice of NIH(S) background. Except for one case in which C-type particles were present in the epithelial cells as well as the connective tissue, the viruses were only found within the stroma of the heterotransplanted tumours. Peroxidase labelling with anti-mouse serum demonstrated that the connective tissue supporting the transplanted human tumours was of mouse origin. Competition radioimmunoassays demonstrated that MuLV interspecies viral protein was present in high titre in the transplanted tumour extracts and also in extracts of 2 spontaneous mouse-tumour extracts. These data suggest that endogenous viruses of the nude mice are activated by the graft, and only subsequently infect the human tumour cells and form particles.

Highlights

Summary.-C-type viruses were formed in heterotransplants of 5/14 human urogenital tumours which had been serially transferred in nude mice of NIH(S) background
While serially passing human tumour tissues of urogenital origin in nude mice to acquire large amounts of tumour material for immunological studies, we systematically screened for the presence of C-type viruses in the tumour tissues by competition radioimmunoassay and by MATERIALS AND METHODS
Virus-like particles were found in heterotransplants of 5/14 human urogenital tumours which had been serially transferred in nude mice

Summary

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Heterotransplantation.-Human tumours of urogenital origin (Table I) were heterotransplanted into nude mice of NIH(S) background in the following manner. Tumours were received in the laboratory from surgery, and within 1 h were cut in a sterile manner into small pieces about 3 mm in diameter. They were implanted s.c. as solid tumour blocks by incision of the skin with sterile electron microscopy. The latter method scissors, insertion of the tumour tissue and. Microscopy.-For light-microscopy studies tumour samples from patients as well as from the serially transferred tissues were immediately fixed in 10% formaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. The procedures have been described elsewhere (Mickey et al, 1976)

RESULTS

Number of ttransfers Occurenco in nude of mice VLPt

MuLV in mouse competition competition EM

DISCUSSION

These findings strongly suggest that the