Genetic basis for resistance to polytropic murine leukemia viruses in the wild mouse species Mus castaneus.

Cultured cells derived from the wild mouse species Mus castaneus were found to be uniquely resistant to exogenous infection by polytropic mink cell focus-forming (MCF) murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs). This MCF MuLV resistance is inherited as a genetically recessive trait in the progeny of F1 crosses between M. castaneus and MCF MuLV-susceptible laboratory mice. Examination of the progeny of backcrosses demonstrated that susceptibility is inherited as a single gene which maps to chromosome 1. The map location of this gene places it at or near the locus Rmc1, the gene encoding the receptor for MCF/xenotropic MuLVs, suggesting that resistance is mediated by the M. castaneus allele of this receptor.