Analysis of the transfer RNA population of mouse mammary glands infected with a latent mammary tumor virus.

Mammary gland transfer RNA's (tRNA'S) of CEH mice infected with mammary tumor virus were analyzed in the preneoplastic state and compared to tRNAs of virus-free C3Hf mice and another uninfected strain, C57BL/6, which is completely resistant to cancer. This quantitative study was based on the ability of each tRNA to fix its corresponding amino acid. The amount of each of the 17 tRNA's tested was identical for the three mammary glands. In addition, tRNA populations during lactation correlated with the amino acids incorporated into the lactoproteins synthesized, which indicates adapation of the tRNA's to protein biosynthesis. Qualitative chromatographic studies on reverse phase capillary columns Type 5 of 10 aminoacyl-tRNA's did not reveal any difference in the isoacceptor elution profiles. This shows that no new isoaccepting tRNA is associated with the mammary tumor virus at that stage, and that no viral modification of a host tRNA has occurred.