C3H-<italic>A</italic><sup><italic>uv</italic></sup>—A High Hepatoma and High Mammary Tumor Strain of Mice

Abstract

The C3H-Auv is the highest mammary tumor and highest hepatoma strain of mice we have had. All breeding and virgin C3H-Auv females with the mammary tumor virus (MTV) developed mammary tumors at an average age of between 6 and 7 months. Of the C3H-AuvfB females, presumably free of MTV but with nodule-inducing virus (NIV), 90% of the breeders and 20% of the virgins developed mammary tumors at an average age of 15 months. All C3H-Auvmales can be expected to have hepatomas by about 12 months of age or soon thereafter, and nearly all C3H-AuvfB females, since they do not die early with mammary tumors, will also develop hepatomas. The hepatomas arose about 4 months later in the females than in the males. The Auvgene by which this strain is characterized, and that, as we reported earlier, increases occurrence of mammary tumors, increased the incidence of hepatomas, caused them to arise earlier, and caused more hepatomas in each animal. The effect of this gene on increasing occurrence of tumors is correlated with its effect on increasing body weight.