Isolation of a C-type retrovirus from an HIV infected cell line

Abstract

A study by electron microscopy of HUT 78 cells infected with the ARV-2 strain of HIV-1 revealed, in addition to virions having the characteristic morphology of a lentivirus, the presence of numerous C-type particles, suggesting that the analysed specimen might in fact contain two different viruses. In order to further investigate this observation, the cell culture supernatant was filtered and mixed at serial dilutions with uninfected HUT 78 cells. In this way, it was possible to obtain cells producing only virions with C-type morphology and a Mn++ dependent reverse transcriptase activity which in a sucrose gradient was found to peak at a buoyant density of 1.16 g/cm3. The RNA purified from the culture medium was not detected by reference DNA probes for either HIV-1 and -2 or HTLV-I and -II. In an indirect immunofluorescence assay, sera from patients seropositive for these human retroviruses failed to recognize any antigen in the cells producing only the C-type particles. Using the same technique, plasma samples from 100 blood donors also gave negative results. The presence of this retrovirus could be the result of previous laboratory contamination but the possibility that it is indeed a human virus has to be considered.

The Nucleotide Sequence of Koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) Retrovirus: a Novel Type C Endogenous Virus Related to Gibbon Ape Leukemia Virus

“…The broad in vitro host range of GALV, its apparently well-conserved receptor (42), and the evidence presented for taxonomic cross-transmission in vivo suggest that the members of the GALV-KoRV group have the potential for future host jumping. Furthermore, simian type C-related virus sequences and cross-reactive proteins have been detected in humans (14,17,20,31), and a novel strain of GALV (GALVX) has been isolated from a human cell line (5,43). Continuing studies are aimed at further defining the epizootiology of the KoRV-GALV group and at clarifying the pathogenic and zoonotic potential of this virus.…”

Transspecies Transmission of Gammaretroviruses and the Origin of the Gibbon Ape Leukaemia Virus (GaLV) and the Koala Retrovirus (KoRV)

“…It was shown that the infected woolly monkey had close contact with an infected gibbon [22]. In addition to these strains, related GALV were isolated from a GALV-SSAV infected marmoset tumor cell line, designated GALV-MAR (Accession number U20589.1) and from an HIV-1-infected human cell line (GaLV-X) [28,29], revealing laboratory contaminations similar to the situation with the xenotropic murine leukaemia virus (MuLV)-related virus (XMRV) in human tissues [30]. …”

Discovery of a Novel Retrovirus Sequence in an Australian Native Rodent (Melomys burtoni): A Putative Link between Gibbon Ape Leukemia Virus and Koala Retrovirus

“…A further unusual feature of KoRV is the close genetic relationship it shares with gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV), an exogenous virus initially isolated from captive white-handed gibbons ( Hylobates lar ) in Thailand with malignant lymphoma and leukemia, and later isolated from other gibbons with lymphoid tumours, gibbons inoculated with human material or as a human cell culture contaminant [19]–[22]. KoRV and GALV share a high degree of homology across the entire viral genome and both viruses form a clade with eutherian (porcine, murine, feline and chiropteran) gammaretroviruses [11], [23].…”