Pseudotyped retroviral vectors reveal restrictions to reticuloendotheliosis virus replication in rat cells.

Reticuloendotheliosis viruses (Rev) replicate in chicken and dog cells, but not in rat cells. Amphotropic murine leukemia viruses (Am-MLV) replicate in chicken, dog, and rat cells. Transcription from the Rev long terminal repeat, determined by the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay, was not significantly different from transcription from the MLV long terminal repeat in rat cells. To determine further the step(s) in the retroviral life cycle that is blocked for Rev replication in rat cells, we took advantage of the wide host range of Am-MLV (S. Rasheed, M. B. Gardner, and E. Chan, J. Virol. 19:13-18, 1976) and the ability to form Rev-Am-MLV pseudotypes. Data from these pseudotypes indicate that the block to Rev replication in rat cells is posttranscriptional.