Sarcoma and helper-specific RNA tumor virus subunits in transformed nonproducer mouse cells activated to produce virus by treatment with bromodeoxyuridine.

A tumor line (58-2T) was established from a slowly growing tumor in a BALB/c mouse inoculated with M58-2 cells. The latter clonal cell line was isolated after bromodeoxyuridine treatment as a flat variant from nonproducer BALB/3T3 cells transformed by the Kirsten sarcoma virus. The 58-2T cells produced type C virus with two discrete virus-specific RNA species. One of the species, which was probably an endogenous virus RNA subunit, had a sedimentation coefficient of 35S as the largest major subunit, and had sequences similar to Rauscher leukemia virus RNA based on nucleic acid hybridization. The other RNA species had 30S as the largest major subunit and corresponded to Kirsten sarcoma virus-specific RNA. These two RNA species formed heterogeneous, 60 to 70S, high-molecular-weight RNA in virions.DNA transcripts (58-2T DNA) from the activated virus contained base sequences complementary to Rauscher leukemia virus and Kirsten sarcoma virus. The Kirsten sarcoma virus-specific DNA sequences (58-2TS) were purified from 58-2T DNA by eliminating RLV-specific sequences.