Mouse immunoglobulin antibodies require complement for neutralization of mouse retroviruses

Efficiency of in vivo gene transfer using murine retroviral vectors is strain-dependent in mice

Retroviral vectors can be used to transduce cultured cells at high frequencies, but efficient transduction of target cells in vivo has proved difficult and little is known about the factors that influence the efficiency of retroviral infection. Many commonly used mouse strains harbor endogenous C-type proviruses, some of which are expressed and have circulating antibodies against the viral envelope glycoproteins that cross-react with the Moloney strain of murine leukemia virus (MoMLV), from which most current retroviral vectors are derived. We have investigated the relative efficiency of retroviral-mediated gene transfer into regenerating skeletal muscle of a variety of mouse strains using a MoMLV-based vector. Humoral immune competence and interference between endogenous MLVs and exogenous recombinant MoMLV were observed to affect the efficiency of retroviral-mediated transfection in vivo. Our results indicate that the mouse genetic background and immune status need to be considered when choosing a preclinical model for in vivo retroviral-mediated gene transfer.

Vaccination with a live retrovirus: the nature of the protective immune response

We tested 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (zidovudine) combined with interferon alpha as chemoprophylaxis after exposing mice to Rauscher murine leukemia virus. Therapy started 4 hr after inoculation and administered for 20 days prevented viremia and disease in all 234 mice tested. When the animals were rechallenged with live virus after cessation of therapy, 96% were resistant. The nature of this protective immune response was analyzed: Passive serotherapy of naive mice challenged subsequently with Rauscher murine leukemia virus was only protective at a high dose of immune serum. Immune, but not naive, T cells alone were fully protective against virus challenge. We conclude that vaccination with a live retrovirus that cannot replicate because of pharmacological blockade induces a T-cell response capable of protecting against a lethal retrovirus-induced disease.

Differences in oncogenicity among murine leukemia virus isolates are not correlated with the magnitude of H-2 regulated anti-viral envelope antibody responses

The antibody response against the envelope proteins of a variety of cloned highly and poorly oncogenic dualtropic mink cell focus-inducing (MCF) murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) was studied and compared with the antibody response against ecotropic isolates. MCF viruses evoke stronger antibody responses than ecotropic MuLV isolates. Although these MCF viruses are highly polymorphic with respect to their gp70 and p15(E) envelope proteins, generally a similar H-2-linked immune response gene control of anti-viral antibody responses is observed. Neonatally infected BALB/c (H-2d) and C57BL/10 (B10,H-2b) mice are high responders and B10.A (H-2a) mice, congenic at the major histocompatibility complex (H-2) with B10, low responders. No correlation was found between the expression of any single gp70 or p15(E) epitope of the infecting MCF virus and the magnitude of the antibody response. This indicates that the level of the H-2 regulated anti-MuLV envelope antibody response is most likely determined by a MuLV antigen shared by all MuLV isolates examined. The magnitude of the antibody response against highly oncogenic and against poorly oncogenic MCF virus does not differ significantly. The combined data indicate that the intrinsic oncogenic potency encoded by the viral genome is a more important feature of oncogenesis than the level of antiviral envelope antibody response evoked by the MCF virus. However, the oncogenic properties of a single murine leukemia virus may vary among H-2 congenic mice, correlated with their H-2-dependent capacity to produce antiviral antibodies.