Provirus insertion near the c-myc, pim-1 or Mlvi-1 genes occurred in 7 out of 59 virally induced T-cell leukemias. C-myc was exclusively rearranged in approximately 10% of MCF247-induced tumors while Mlvi-1 was rearranged to a similar frequency in Moloney-virus-induced lymphomas. Out of 25 karyotyped tumors, 9 (36%) showed trisomy of chromosome 15. Provirus insertion near c-myc, pim-1 or Mlvi-1 occurred both in diploid lymphomas and in tumors with trisomy 15. These results suggest that the molecular and cytogenetic changes observed in murine T-cell leukemias are independent tumor-associated events and that trisomy of chromosome 15 is a common tumor-progression-related event.

An ouabain- and thioguanine-resistant subline (TIKAUT) of spontaneous AKR lymphoma, TKA, was trisomic for chromosome 15 and contained a single 33 kb EcoRI fragment, containing the oncogene c-myc. The original TKA lymphoma and derived in vitro line contained the same 33 kb fragment, as well as a normal 22 kb fragment. It has been concluded that the original 15-trisomic TKA tumor has duplicated a 15-chromosome that contained the changed fragment, while maintaining the normal fragment as well. Subsequently, in the derived TIKAUT line, the changed chromosome duplicated again, giving rise to three copies, and the normal homologue was eliminated altogether. This confirms our earlier somatic hybrid study showing that the duplicated 15-chromosome of a T-cell leukemia confers an advantage on the cell that favors tumorigenicity, whereas the normal homologue exerts a counteracting influence. Therefore, in the course of tumor progression, the changed chromosome tends to be amplified, whereas its normal homologue tends to be eliminated.

Four combinations of translocation heterozygotes with cytogenetically distinct chromosomes 15 were used to investigate whether the T-cell leukemia-associated preferential duplication of the AKR-derived chromosome 15 (AKR-15) is determined by factors within this chromosome, or is due to genes within the AKR genotype, but outside chromosome 15. Two of the four combinations were also used to determine whether the AKR-15 duplication preference could be cancelled by MCF-viremia in permissive F1 hybrids. Chemically and virally induced 15-trisomic leukemias showed the same AKR-15 duplication preference, which was due to some autonomous property of AKR-15 itself. It was maintained in (C57BL 6;15 X C57BL) F1 leukemias, where 6;15 is the only AKR-derived chromosome propagated on the C57BL/background. In the (C57BL 6;15 X AKR) F1 hybrid cross where both chromosomes 15 are of AKR origin, duplication occurred at random. To approach the second question, MCF viremia was induced by neonatal virus inoculation into permissive (AKR 6;15 X B6Fv-In) F1 hosts. The preferential duplication status of the AKR-derived 6;15 remained unchanged.

Somatic cell hybrids were generated between an MCF-virus-induced 15-trisomic T-cell lymphoma of AKR origin with a proviral insertion near the c-myc locus, and normal diploid fibroblasts or lymphocytes of CBAT6T6 origin. Three lymphoma/fibroblast fusions were performed. Six independently-derived clones from 2 fusions were tested for tumorigenicity. Three of the 6 clones were weakly malignant (take incidence 20% below), and 3 were strongly malignant (take incidence over 80%). All 3 lymphoma/lymphocyte hybrids and 6 derived clones were strongly malignant. All hybrids contained a nearly complete chromosomal complement of both parental cells. This was confirmed at the molecular level by determining the ratio of germ-line (G) vs. rearranged (R) myc-carrying Eco RI fragments that showed the expected 1.9-2.7:1 proportion. Malignant segregants selected from the weakly malignant lymphoma/fibroblast hybrids by in vivo inoculation showed changed 15-chromosome ratios. Four out of the 6 clones showed amplification of the lymphoma-derived 15-chromosome that carries the R-myc fragment and a concomitant decrease in the average number of the G-myc-carrying chromosomes. This was deduced from the fact that the G:R ratio was between 2 and 3:1 in the in vitro hybrids but became inverted (1:2-3) in the tumors. Two tumors showed no amplification of R-myc. G-myc was decreased. One of these tumors showed a change in the G:R ratio from 2.5:1.0 to 1.2:1.0, while the other was essentially unchanged (1.9:1.0 in the in vitro clone and 2.2:1.0 in the derived tumor). These findings support the notion that both the amplification of the lymphoma-derived 15-chromosome with the retrovirally rearranged c-myc carrying fragment and/or the loss of the G-myc-carrying 15-chr can contribute to the tumorigenic potential of the hybrids.

Conversion of solid sarcomas and carcinomas into ascites tumors depends on the in vivo selection of phenotypically altered tumor cell variants that can grow in the dissociated form. Once selected, they retain this property even after prolonged s.c. growth as solid tumors. From an s.c.-passaged subline of an ascites-converted murine sarcoma (SEWA-AS12), we were able to separate cells adapted to the ascites form of growth from cells that can only grow in the solid form on the basis of their differential adherence to plastic. Both c-myc and pvt-1 were amplified approximately 63- to 77-fold in the nonadherent subline (SEWA-AS12-NA), but only 5- to 8-fold in the adherent subline (SEWA-AS12-ADH). This suggests that c-myc and/or pvt-1 amplification may provide a selective advantage to cells that can grow in the dissociated form.