Induction of endogenous xenotropic retrovirus expression by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate

• Published in: In vitro cellular & developmental biology Vol. 22; no. 5; p. 253
• Main Authors: Suk, W A, Long, C W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.1986
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Line; Cell Transformation, Viral; DNA - biosynthesis; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Kirsten murine sarcoma virus - physiology; Mice; Neutralization Tests; Phorbols - pharmacology; Protein Biosynthesis; Retroviridae - growth & development; Retroviridae - immunology; Retroviridae Proteins - immunology; RNA - biosynthesis; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate - pharmacology; Virus Activation - drug effects
• ISSN: 0883-8364
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02621227

The tumor promotor 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) was examined for its ability to induce endogenous retrovirus from a high-passage clone of Kirsten sarcoma virus-transformed Balb/c (K-Balb) mouse cells. TPA activated virus in a concentration-dependent manner (0.0016 to 4.0 microM). Exposure to 1mM actinomycin D inhibited virus induction, suggesting that cellular RNA synthesis is required de novo by this inducer. A broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody to murine type C virus, gp70, was shown to neutralize the infectivity of the induced virus. The activated virus had the host range of the xenotropic Balb virus:2, and after removal of the inducer, the activated state decayed rapidly. TPA stimulated DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis in K-Balb cells, indicating that the mechanism of induction may be different from that of previously identified virus inducers. The effects observed using the well-defined K-Balb system offer an opportunity to study the modulation of retrovirus gene expression by TPA.