Oncogenic transformation of murine lymphoid cells by in vitro infection with Abelson leukemia virus.

Spleen cell cultures stimulated to DNA synthesis by antigen or mitogen were infected with Abelson virus, a C-type RNA virus inducing nonthymic lymphomas in mice. After 3 days the cells were transferred to mice and caused 100 percent incidence of lymphomas in as few as 29 days. That a number of the tumors were of donor origin, as shown by female karyotypes in recipient male mice, indicated that cells infected by virus in vitro were transformed. The process depended upon both virus and stimulation of lymphocytes in culture. Lymphoid tumors did not develop in mice receiving cells from virus-infected cultures not exposed to antigen or mitogen.