Resistance to fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells to ecotropic murine leukemia virus infection; an Akvr-1R gene effect.

A gene named Akvr-1 segregates as a dominant allele in California wild mice (LC). Unlike Fv-1 and Fv-2 restriction alleles, the Akvr-1 confers resistance to replication of all ecotropic (N-, B-, and NB-tropic) murine leukemia viruses (MuLV-E) and prevents endogenous AKR virus-induced lymphoma/leukemia in F1 hybrids of AKR x LC. We have tested fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells from mice of defined Akvr-1 genotypes for in vitro susceptibility to various MuLV infections. Our results indicated a dominant in vitro resistance of exogenously MuLV-E infected cells carrying Akvr-1R allele although resistance was stronger in the homozygous cells than in the heterozygous cells. Moreover, resistance of cells to virus replication was not abrogated by high multiplicities of infection or by growth stimulation of hematopoietic cultures by various T- or B-cell-responsive mitogenic agents.