Effect of bromodeoxyuridine on endogenous retrovirus production in differentiating murine lymphocytes.

Abstract

Molecular hybridization studies have revealed the presence of multiple endogenous C-type viruses in germ line DNA of all mouse strains. Expression of viral information results in T-cell leukemias in AKR mice. Study of the control of these genes might be expected to provide information on both leukemogenesis and on gene regulation in eukaryotic cells. In vitro studies of virus induction have shown that bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation into fibroblast DNA (Teich et al. 1973) leads to apparent gene derepression and the production of ecotropic and xenotropic viruses (Besmer et al. 1974).