Vascular tumors produced by NIH/3T3 cells transfected with human AIDS Kaposi's sarcoma DNA.

Patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have a high incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma. The etiology, histogenesis, and neoplastic nature of this neoplasm have been controversial. We have therefore searched for transforming gene(s) associated with AIDS Kaposi's sarcoma. DNA from an AIDS patient's Kaposi's sarcoma was transfected into NIH 3T3 cells. Control DNA was derived from human fibroblasts or salmon sperm. Kaposi's sarcoma DNA, but not the control DNA, transforms NIH/3T3 cells with a frequency of approximately 0.02 foci per 5 X 10(5) cells/micrograms DNA. The primary and secondary transfectants contain human repetitive DNA sequences. The transfected clones produced hemorrhagic angiosarcomatous neoplasms when implanted in nude mice. The histology of the nude mouse tumors is very similar to human Kaposi's sarcoma. The tumor produced by some transfectants is highly invasive and metastatic in nude mice. No significant homologues of rasN, rasH, rasK, v-sis, v-src and v-fes oncogenes (known to transform NIH/3T3 cells) were identified in the Kaposi's sarcoma DNA-transformed cells. Thus, AIDS Kaposi's sarcoma DNA may contain a distinct transforming gene(s).