Japanese quail embryo cell line persistently infected with erythroblastosis virus.

A Japanese quail embryo cell line transformed by avian retrovirus, designated QERC-31F, was further characterized in virological and cytological aspects. Infectious virus produced by this cell line was found to belong to subgroup A. The virus failed to transform quail embryo cells, whereas it induced erythroblastosis by injection into neonatal quails. Injection of QERC-31F cells into neonatal quails resulted in the induction of solid tumors which morphologically diagnosed as undifferentiated sarcoma. Mitosis of pro-erythrocytic cells with also detected in the peripheral blood of the tumor bearing animals. Antiserum to chicken erythrocyte histone V fraction which was also shown to react specifically with the nucleus of quail erythrocytes stained the nucleus of QERC-31F cells. These results suggested that this cell line maintains characteristics of the erythroblast and possibly produces avian erythroblastosis virus as well as helper virus of subgroup A.