Avian erythroblastosis virus transforms a novel mast cell-basophil precursor target in the Japanese quail.

Hematopoietic cells of the Japanese quail were transformed by avian erythroblastosis virus in vivo and in vitro. In both circumstances, the infected hematopoietic tissues exhibited a dual oncogenic response of erythroid and mast cell-basophil elements. The erythroid transformants escaped the avian erythroblastosis virus block in differentiation and progressed to hemoglobinization. Resulting basophilic cells were morphologically, biochemically, and ultrastructurally identical to mast cell-basophils observed in other species. None of the virally transformed cells actively produced reverse transcriptase activity. Nonproducer cell lines synthesized viral RNA and both v-erbA and v-erbB proteins. These results indicate that the Japanese quail has a viral target cell different from that of the chicken. The implications of a single bipotential transformation target yielding both erythroid and mast cell-basophil colonies is discussed.