Correlation of early murine leukemia virus titer and H-2 type with spontaneous leukemia in mice of the BALB/c times AKR cross: a genetic analysis.

Tissue extracts from 6-wk old mice of the AKR strain (H-K) show high levels of infectious murine leukemia virus, and these mice show a near 100% incidence of spontaneous leukemia. In F1 mice of the cross, BALB/c times AKR (H-2K/H-2K), both the occurrence of virus and the incidence of spontaneous leukemia are suppressed to very low values, due largely to the presence of the FV-1b allele inherited from the BALB/c parent. Mice of the (BALB/c times AKR) F-1 times AKR backcross generation were observed for possible correlations between virus expressions at 6 wk of age, H-2 type and leukemia incidence. H-2 type showed at most a weak influence on the occurrence of infectious virus, but there was a very strong correlation between the level of virus expression and the occurrence of leukemia and a strong correlation between H-2 type and leukemia. In addition, there was a highly significant nonrandom distribution of virus-negative mice among the backcross litters, suggesting a maternal effect on virus expression.