Suppression of retroviral tumors in hosts immune to viral oncogene product.

ABSTRACT

Feline sarcoma virus of Snyder-Theilen strain (ST-FeSV) induces sarcomas in Wistar/Ma rats following neonatal virus injection. Induced tumors express the viral oncogene product (P85) and elicit in hosts the specific serum anti-P85 antibody detectable by Western blot analysis. Syngeneic adult female rats were immunized with an ST-FeSV induced sarcoma that was 100% transplantable to syngeneic adult rats. Newborns from immunized rats (vaccinated rats) were found to carry anti-P85 in their sera at birth. Following neonatal injection of the virus to vaccinated and non-vaccinated control rats, tumor incidence was found to be lower and survival time significantly longer in vaccinated rats than in controls (p < 0.01). A nonapeptide known to be thymic hormone (FTS) showed suppressive effects on tumor development. These results indicate that tumors caused by perinatal retrovirus infection may be suppressed by efficient elicitation of cell-mediated immune response against the product of oncogene of the causative virus.