Xenotropic properties of an isolate from murine Rauscher leukemia virus in primates.

Murine Rauscher leukemia virus (MuRLV) from BALB/c plasma consisting of a mixture of an ecotropic and a xenotropic virus could be separated out by a selection process when propagated in human and simian cell cultures. This hypothesis is supported by obtaining consistently lower infectivity titers of human cell propagated RLV in human and simian cells as compared to MuRLV propagated in mouse cell cultures. Furthermore, RLV passaged in a simian cell culture failed to replicate in mouse cells, had a wide host range, was able to rescue Moloney sarcoma genome, possessed murine type C group-specific antigen, and was neutralized by anti-HRLV. Its reverse transcriptase was strongly inhibited by antiserum to MuRLV enzyme; however, antiserum to woolly monkey enzyme also inhibited (30%) its reverse transcriptase, suggesting some difference in antigenic properties. Inoculation of this virus in rhesus monkeys was inconclusive.