Induction of Multiple Independent T-Cell Lymphomas in Rats Inoculated with Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus

Tumor cell DNA derived from different lymphoid organs of 30 rats serially inoculated at birth with Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) was examined by Southern blot analysis and hybridization to the following DNA probes: MoMuLV long terminal repeat (LTR), Moloney leukemia virus integration regions 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Mlvi-1, Mlvi-2, Mlvi-3, and Mlvi-4), T-cell receptor β locus, and immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. This analysis revealed that the tumors segregating in different lymphoid organs in 10% of the animals were clonally unrelated. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the MoMuLV-induced rat thymic lymphomas are polyclonal in origin. At least two factors may be responsible for this phenomenon: (i) increase in the number of the available target cells in virus-infected animals, and (ii) genetic instability associated with provirus integration in the developing premalignant clones.