Evidence for the in vitro transfer of defective Rous sarcoma virus genome from hamster tumor cells to chick cells.

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Abstract
Monolayer culture cells of hamster tumor cells induced by the defective Bryan strain of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) contained no demonstrable RSV or Rous associated virus (RAV), despite the presence of avian sarcoma and leukosis group-specific complement-fixing antigens. The cultured hamster tumor cells failed to induce tumors in chicks and to yield RSV or RAV upon superinfection of tissue cultures with RAV. When hamster tumor cells and chick cells were grown together for variable periods in the same tissue cultures, the mixed cultures acquired the ability to induce virus-free but CF [complement-fixing] antigen-containing sarcomas in leukosis-free chicks. The mixed cultures of hamster tumor cells and chick cells and cultures derived from chicken sarcomas were free of demonstrable infectious RSV or RAV, but on superinfection with RAV, both RSV and RAV were released into the culture medium. Cultured hamster cells contained defective RSV but no RAV and upon mixed cultivation of hamster cels with chick cells, the defective RSV was transferred from hamster cells to the chick cells , the latter remaining as nonproducers until superinfected with RAV. When the Bryan RSV genome induces hamster tumors, it is present in the hamster tumor cells in a more defective state than is true of the Schmidt-Ruppin and Prague RSV genomes.