Autologous Implantation of Rhesus Monkey Cells “Transformed” In Vitro by Simian Virus 40

Summary

Cell cultures derived from muscle, skin, and testis of 3 rhesus monkeys were infected with simian virus 40 (SV40). After several months, infected cultures grew more rapidly than noninfected control cultures, and there were changes in cell morphology and growth characteristics that have been referred to as transformation. The transformed cultures were all virus-carrier cultures and SV40 was recovered from their supernatants at intervals throughout the 27 months of the experiment. Autologous implantation of as many as 10⁸ transformed cells failed to produce tumors in the animals. Since virus-associated transplantation antigens have been demonstrated in cells of hamster tumors produced by SV40, it seems likely that the SV40-transformed monkey cells contained similar antigens which the autologous host was able to recognize as “foreign.”