Role of viruses in the induction of primary intracranial tumors.

The role of viruses in the induction of primary intracranial tumors is reviewed. Papovaviruses of the simian virus 40 (SV40) group are used as a representative model, and a distillation of the literature on virus induction of intracranial tumors in laboratory animals and neoplastic transformation of cells in culture is presented. The molecular sequence of events during tumor induction and neoplastic cell transformation is also discussed. Recent evidence that the papovaviruses play a role in the formation of human brain tumors is summarized.