Induction of lymphoma and associated xenotropic type C virus in C57L mice by whole-body irradiation.

Adult C57L mice received sublethal whole-body X-irradiation. Between 3 and 11 months later, 5 of the 7 exposed mice developed histopathologically confirmed malignant lymphomas (lymphocytic type) that primarily involved the thymus. The lymphomas were readily transplantable to other C57L mice of any age, which developed fetal lymphomatous involvement; the tumor cells could also be propagated in tissue culture. A xenotropic murine type C virus (MuX) was isolated from the cultured lymphoma cells after cocultivation with a permissive dog line. MuX activity was demonstrated by electron microscopy, complement fixation, indirect fluorescent antibody, infectivity, and genome rescue.