Alteration of Skin in Gross Leukemia. V. Refutation of Virus Involvement

Summary

Previous findings in the Gross passage A (GPA) virus-(C3H/Bi × DBA/2)F₁ mouse system indicated that the tumor cell was more important in the process of syngeneic skin graft rejection than was the GPA virus. To determine the specific involvement of virus in this rejection, purified GPA virus either in a cell-free filtrate from leukemic tissues or in an irradiated cell-free ascites form was directly injected into newly placed grafts. One and a half years after initial grafting and virus injection, skin was exchanged between the treated group and normal animals to ascertain whether antigens had been altered in the skin of the treated group. In all experiments, the skin grafts were accepted without any graft-site tumors developing. Eventually the animals died from disseminated lymphoma. The GPA virus, though definitely leukemogenic, seemed not to influence syngenic skin rejection in this system.