Abstract
GENETIC factors strongly influence susceptibility to leukaemia in mice. In some instances leukaemogenesis hinges on only a few genes, or even a single gene1. The hairless mutation is an example of this. Homozygotes for this autosomal recessive gene (hr/hr) have a high incidence of thymic leukaemia (45% at 8–10 months), whereas the incidence in heterozygotes (hr/ +) is low (1% at 8–10 months)2. The leukaemogenic effect produced by homozygocity for hr is unknown. Here we report that thymuses of hr/hr mice produce high titres of xenotropic viruses, whereas thymuses of hr/ + mice do not. Furthermore, viruses with a broadened host range were isolated from thymuses of preleukaemic hr/hr mice, but not from any tissue of hr/ + mice. We propose that the mutant gene hr specifies circumstances that augment production of xenotropic virus by the thymus. This phenomenon may be an important step in the development of thymic leukaemia.
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HIAI, H., MORRISSEY, P., KHIROYA, R. et al. Selective expression of xenotropic virus in congenic HRS/J (hairless) mice. Nature 270, 247–249 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270247a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270247a0
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