Molecular Biology of RNA Tumor Viruses

Molecular Biology of RNA Tumor Viruses deals with the molecular biology and biologic significance of RNA tumor viruses. Methods and procedures with broad application to diverse areas of molecular biology, including cell culture procedures, competition radioimmunoassays, molecular hybridization, oligonucleotide mapping, heteroduplex mapping, and restriction endonuclease techniques, are considered.
This book is organized into 12 chapters and begins with a historical overview of tumor virology beginning with the early studies of Peyton Rous and leading up to the significant surge of activity during the later decade. The biology of endogenous retroviruses, their transmission both within and between species, and cellular regulatory factors influencing their expression are subsequently discussed. This book then addresses the nature and origin of transforming RNA viruses and gives a detailed review of knowledge concerning the genomic structure of type C viruses. Translational products encoded by the type C viral genome are examined in ensuing chapters, emphasizing the viral reverse transcriptase. Other mammalian retroviruses, including the mouse mammary tumor virus and type D isolates of primates, are also described. The book concludes by evaluating the possibility of direct etiologic involvement of either endogenous or exogenous RNA tumor viruses in human cancers.
This book will be of value both to graduate students and to established investigators with specific interest in other aspects of molecular biology.

Contenu

List of Contributors
Preface
Chapter 1 Historical Background
I. Introduction
II. Avian Sarcoma Virus (ASV)
III. Chicken Leukosis Viruses
IV. Development of Inbred Strains of Mice
V. Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV)
VI. Murine Leukemia Virus (MuLV)
VII. Murine Sarcoma Virus (MSV)
VIII. In Vitro Studies of MuLV and MSV
IX. Other Mammalian Sarcoma Viruses
X. Discovery of Reverse Transcriptase
XI. Properties of RNA Tumor Viruses
XII. Endogenous Nature of Retroviruses
XIII. MuLV in Wild Mice
XIV. Derivation of Highly Oncogenic Viruses by Recombination and "Rescue" of Endogenous Host Cellular Genes
XV. Evidence of RNA Tumor Viruses in Many Mammalian Species, Including Primates
XVI. The Viral-Oncogene and Protovirus Hypotheses
References
Chapter 2 Interspecies Transmission of Mammalian Retroviruses
I. Introduction
II. Transmission of Type C Virogenes between Distantly Related Species
III. Primate Evolutionary Relationships
IV. Phylogenetic Relationships of Mus Species
V. Possible Normal Functions of Type C Viruses
References
Chapter 3 The Endogenous Murine Type C Viruses
I. Introduction
II. Discovery of Murine Leukemia Viruses
III. The Complex Polymorphism of Endogenous Type C Viruses
IV. Endogenous Type C Virus Genes and Gene Products Found in Normal Mice
V. Genetic Control of Endogenous Murine Type C Viruses
VI. Other Host Regulatory Mechanisms for Endogenous Type C Viruses
VII. Biological Functions of Endogenous Type C Viruses
VIII. Conclusion
References
Chapter 4 Germ Line Integration and Mendelian Transmission of Exogenous Type C Viruses
I. Introduction
II. Transmission of Exogenous Murine Leukemia Virus (MuLV)
III. Expression and Somatic Amplification of Moloney-MuLV Sequences in BALB/Mo Mice
IV. Characterization of the Chromosomal Integration Sites of Murine Leukemia Viruses
V. Discussion and Conclusions
References
Chapter 5 Type C RNA Transforming Viruses
I. Introduction
II. Typical Sarcoma Virus Recombinants; Nucleotide Sequences and Evolutionary Origins
III. "Atypical" Sarcomagenic Virus Recombinants; Origins of Nucleotide Sequences
IV. Expression of Nucleotide Sequences Associated with Sarcoma Viruses in Normal Cells
V. Changes in Genetic Content of Sarcomagenic Viruses
VI. Product of the src Gene of Avian Sarcoma Virus
References
Chapter 6 Structural Analysis of Retrovirus Genomes
I. Structure of Nondefective Sarcoma Virus Genomes
II. Structure of Other Retrovirus Genomes
III. Conclusions
References
Chapter 7 Type C Virus Structural and Transformation-Specific Proteins
I. Introduction
II. gag-pol-Coded Virion Proteins
III. env-Coded Proteins
IV. Proteins Encoded by Type C Viruses with Transforming Activity
References
Chapter 8 Primary Structure Analysis of Retrovirus Proteins
I. Introduction
II. Amino Acid Sequences of Mammalian Type C Virus gag Gene Products
III. NH2-Terminal Sequences of Non-Type C Mammalian Retrovirus gag Gene Products
IV. Amino Acid Sequences of Avian Type C Virus gag Gene Products
V. env Gene Encoded Glycoproteins
References
Chapter 9 Retrovirus Reverse Transcriptase
I. Introduction
II. Purification of Reverse Transcriptase
III. Structural Properties of Reverse Transcriptase
IV. Enzymatic Activities
V. Polymerase Defective Mutants
VI. Biosynthesis of pol Gene Products
VII. DNA Synthesis in Vitro
VIII. Utilization of Reverse Transcriptase to Prepare Complementary DNA from mRNA
References
Chapter 10 Electron Microscopic Analysis of the Structure of RNA Tumor Virus Nucleic Acids
I. Secondary Structure of Viral RNA
II. Heteroduplex Studies
References
Chapter 11 Type B and Type D Retroviruses
I. Type B Retroviruses: Mouse Mammary Tumor Viruses (MMTVs)
II. Type D Retroviruses: Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus, Langur Virus, and Squirrel Monkey Retrovirus
References
Chapter 12 Prospects for the Etiologic Involvement of RNA Tumor Viruses in Human Cancer
I. Plausibility of an Etiologic Role for RNA Tumor Viruses in Human Cancer
II. Methodologic Approaches to the Detection, Isolation, and Characterization of Candidate Human RNA Tumor Viruses
III. Evidence of Candidate RNA Viruses Associated with Human Neoplasms
IV. Outlook for the Future
References
Subject Index