Pathways in thymus- and bone marrow-derived lymphatic leukemia in mice.

The radiation- and radiation leukemia virus-induced leukemias in C57BL/6 strain mice were found to be of the thymus-derived (T) lymphocyte origin. Experimental evidence indicated that the interaction of the radiation leukemia virus with thymus-derived lymphoid cells and specifically with the thymus subpopulation bearing high levels of H-2 alloantigens were prerequisites for the development of high leukemia incidence in these test systems. In radiation leukemogenesis in C57BL/6 mice it was shown that within several days following the radiation treatment a "released" leukemogenic agent was found in the irradiated bone marrow; whereas, several days following chemical carcinogen leukemogenesis in SJL/J mice, established preleukemic or leukemic cells could be detected in the bone marrow. The analysis concerned with the lymphoid origin of chemical carcinogen-induced lymphatic leukemias in SJL/J mice indicated clearly that the carcinogen could affect different lymphoid populations. The majority of the chemical-induced leukemias were of the bone marrow-derived (B) lymphocyte origin, although some leukemias were of T lymphocyte origin, and some tumors could not be classified as either T or B leukemias, perhaps representing stem cells which do not carry the characteristic surface antigens for mature T and B cells.