Occurrence of natural antibody to the G (gross) leukemia antigen in mice.

Abstract

Antibody with specificity for the G (Gross) leukemia antigen is frequently demonstrable in older normal C57BL/6 and C57BL/6 hybrid mice, and is occasionally present in mice of other genotypes. Mice of strains with a high incidence of leukemia (G + strains) do not form G antibody. The pattern of occurrence of natural antibody in these various strains, and in various crosses, suggests that the capacity to produce G antibody plays an important part in the resistance of mice of certain genotypes to the induction of leukemia by naturally transmitted Gross virus. The high incidence of leukemia in strains of mice of susceptible genotype, on the other hand, appears to be associated with uninhibited replication of Gross virus and consequent immunologic tolerance. In segregating F2 and backcross populations derived from crosses between G + and G - strains, natural antibody was found in some mice of H-2bb and H-2kb genotypes, but not in H-2kk segregants. Thus the relative resistance to Passage A Gross virus shown by mice carrying H-2kb and H-2bb alleles, and the relative susceptibility of mice carrying H-2kk alleles, may have an immunologic basis.