The Detection of Intracellular Retrovirus-like Entities in Drosophila melanogaster Cell Cultures

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A D. melanogaster cell line was examined for the presence of retrovirus particles. When these cells were disrupted and analyzed on sucrose density gradients a subcellular fraction with a density of 1.22 g/ml was found that possessed endogenous DNA polymerase activity and catalyzed polymerization of deoxynucleotide triphosphates in response to added template primers. The latter activity had the cation and template primer responses expected for reverse transcriptase. A high MW polyA-containing RNA was also purified from this fraction and could be dissociated by heat treatment into 30 to 35S and smaller species. EM revealed the presence of torroidal forms reminiscent of intracytoplasmic A-type retrovirus particles within the Drosophila cells. Similar forms were associated with the subcellular fraction of 1.22 g/ml. This D. melanogaster cell line contains retroviruses similar, but not identical, to the A-type particles previously described in mammalian and avian cells.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: