Host genetic control of recovery from Friend leukemia virus-induced splenomegaly: mapping of a gene within the major histocompatability complex.

The influence of the major mouse histocompatibility gene complex (H-2) on the response of mice to Friend leukemia virus was studied in F(1) congenic mice differing only at genes within the H-2 complex. F(1) mice which were H-2(b/b) had a high incidence of recovery from splenomegaly compared to H-2(b/d) or H-2(b/a) mice. In mice with recombinations within the H-2 complex a gene (designated RFV-1), responsible for the Friend virus recovery effect, was found to map near or within the D region of serologically detectable transplantation antigens. Because the incidence of recovery was much higher in F(1)H-2(b/b) mice than in parental H-2(b/b) mice, other non-H-2 host genetic factors also appear to be important to expression of recovery in H-2(b/b) F(1) mice. The mechanisms of action of these genes remain unknown.