High-frequency C-type virus induction by inhibitors of protein synthesis.

When inhibitors of protein synthesis are added to BALB/c mouse cells in culture, induction of naturally integrated C-type RNA virus occurs in a high percentage of cells. The action of protein synthesis inhibitors differs from that of halogenated pyrimidines, another class of virus inducers, in their effects on biologically distinguishable viruses. The use of such inhibitors to study integrated virus expression provides a means for studying gene regulation in mammalian cells.