title: Expression of a reverse transcriptase activity in a cell line established from peritoneal macrophages of mice treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.
abstract: We have established a cell line from peritoneal macrophages of mice treated intraperitoneally with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. The present communication describes the identification of an RNA-dependent DNA-polymerase activity in a particulate fraction from supernatants of the cell culture. This activity is similar to retroviral Reverse Transcriptase (RT) based on its template specificity and ionic preference. The proof of the retrovirus-like nature of RT was obtained by ultracentrifugation of the pelleted proteins secreted in the medium on a sucrose gradient. The main RT activity was obtained in fractions of 1.14-1.16 g/ml densities, which are comparable to those of type C retroviruses. The presented data support constitutive expression of the retrovirus gene in a chemically transformed cell line.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorium für Molekularbiologie (ZBC), Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demirhan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Massalha
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lerch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chandra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D008770:Methylnitrosourea / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000201:enzymology; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013698:Templates, Genetic
chemical_list: D008770:Methylnitrosourea; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase