Influence of immune stimulators on viral leukemogenesis.

Injection of RNA, extracted from statolon by the SDS-phenol method, into FLV-infected mice 24 hours before SRBC immunization restored the immune response to SRBC to normal levels. Leukemosuppression was observed in 50% of the RNA-treated FLV-infected mice. These RNA-treated mice were clinically normal 25 days after infection, whereas all untreated infected mice developed erythroleukemia. Furthermore, all RNA-treated mice with suppressed erythroleukemia produced antibody which was cytotoxic for Friend leukemia cells. Our studies, and studies by others, indicate that the immunostimulatory and leukemosuppressive principle in statolon appears to be a dsRNA.