MAMMARY-TUMOR VIRUS ONCOGENESIS AND TUMOR IMMUNOGENICITY IN 3 SUBLINES OF C3H MOUSE

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (8) , 2443-2447
Abstract
Mammary tumorigenesis and mammary tumor transplantation immunogenicity were studied and compared in 3 sublines of the C3H strain: in standard mammary tumor virus (MTV-S)-infected C3H/He mice; in MTV-S-infected C3H/Ki mice; and in MTV-S-free C3Hf/He mice. The age at the appearance of the 1st tumor, the growth rate of the tumors in their 1st transplant generation and the immunogenicity of each tumor in syngeneic female recipients were determined for the 1st tumor to appear in each of 25 breeding females from each of the 3 sublines. Two statistically significant trends were evident among the tumor characteristics compared in the 3 sublines: An early appearance of tumors was related to the presence of the MTV-S. The genetically dissimilar sublines, C3H/He and C3H/Ki, both infected with the MTV-S, developed mammary tumors at an average age of about 10 mo., 11 mo. before MTV-S-free C3Hf/He mice. The tumor characteristics of immunogenicity and growth stimulation were related to host genetic factors. The genetically similar sublines, C3H/He and C3Hf/He, developed similar proportions of immunogenic and growth-stimulating mammary tumors; the genetically divergent C3H/Ki subline developed tumors that were not immunogenic and tended to be strongly growth stimulating.