Structure and leukemogenic activity of a murine leukemia virus.

Purified Friend viruses obtained from chronically infected tissue cultures were studied under the electron microscope in an effort to correlate the fine structure of the particles to their leukemogenic activity under varied experimental conditions, i.e., temperature treatments and exposure to Tween 80, amyl acetate, or ether. It was observed that an intact viral envelope was a prerequisite to leukemogenic activity as tested by intraperitoneal inoculation of newborn mice. It was also noted that the percentage of C particles was not increased after heating for 1 hr at 45 C (treatment which, however, completely inactivated the viruses). Digestion with ribonuclease indicated the presence of ribonucleic acid within the nucleoids of "enveloped A particles," which shows that these are not immature particles. The significance of the simultaneous presence of "enveloped A" and C particles is discussed.