Characterization of the FBR-murine osteosarcoma virus complex: FBR-MuSV encodes a FOS-derived oncogene.

The FBR murine osteosarcoma virus complex, isolated from a radiation-induced osteosarcoma of an X/Gf mouse causes the rapid appearance of osteosarcomas in newborn mice and transforms fibroblasts in vitro. The two components of the FBR-viral complex have been isolated separately in tissue culture: FBR-MuLV by end-point dilution and FBR-MuSV by the establishment of mouse [FBR-NP 117 (NIH 3T3)] and rat non-producer cell lines [FBR-NP415 (REF)]. The host range and RNase Tl fingerprint analysis of FBR-MuLV demonstrated a pattern closely related to, but distinguishable from, Akv-MuLV. Transformed cells from both mice and rats contain a rescuable FBR-MuSV genome. These pseudotypes produce foci in tissue culture and induce osteosarcomas in susceptible mouse strains. An FBR-MuSV (FBR-MuLV) cDNA probe detects a 5.2 kb HindIII and a 9.5 kb EcoRI FBR-MuSV-specific fragment in FBR-MuSV-transformed non-producer rat cells. The same fragments hybridized with a fos specific probe, demonstrating that FBR-provirus contains a c-fos-derived onc-gene.