Leukemia induction by methylnitrosourea (MNU) in selected mouse strains. Effects of MNU on hemopoietic stem cells, the immune system and natural killer cells.

T cell leukemias were induced by a single dose of methylnitrosourea (MNU) in DBA/2, C57/Bl/6, NMRI, BDF1, and CBA mice. The latency period in the CBA strain was much longer than in the others. Studies on the pluripotent stem cells in the bone marrow and T cell reactions of thymus and spleen cells showed a toxicity of MNU for these parameters but no significant differences between the strains. The activity of the natural killer (NK) cells in the spleen and peritoneal exudate cells, studied also after additional stimulation by injection of Corynebacterium parvum, was influenced by MNU, but again no relation to leukemogenesis could be established. The first leukemic (transplantable) cells were found in the thymus. The presence of leukemic cells could be responsible for low NK cell activities found in BDF1 and DBA/2 mice late after MNU.