Biological and serological characterization of radiation leukemia virus.

Radiation leukemia virus, isolated from radiation-induced lymphomas in C57BL/Ka mice and propagated in that strain, is thymotropic and leukemogenic in vivo but replicates poorly, if at all, in mouse and mink fibroblast cultures in vitro. Comparative studies indicate that this naturally occurring virus is distinct from the previously recognized classes of endogenous murine ecotropic and xenotropic C-type viruses which are capable of replication on fibroblasts (fibrotropic) but are neither thymotropic nor leukemogenic. These studies also demonstrate that a differentiation-specific restriction system governing the replication of the murine ecotropic C-type viruses operates in addition to the previously defined Fv-1 and SRV gene restriction systems.