Screening of endogenous retroviruses in Asian wild mice.

1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 04042020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: Special Cancer Research
• Research Institution: Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: IKEDA Hidetoshi Section Head, Laboratory of Experimental Pathology Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, 病理学第2部, 室長 (60101119)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MASANGKAY Joseph S. Associate Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of the Philippin, 獣医学部, 助教授 ; ISKANDAR Djoko T. Head, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Technology, Band, 室長 ; YAMAGATA Takahiro Research Assistant, Laboratory of Animal Genetics School of Agriculture, Nagoya, 農学部・応用生物学科, 助手 (50242847) ; MANIKAWA Takao Associate Professor, Laboratory of Animal Genetics School of Agriculture, Nagoya, 農学部・応用生物学科, 助教授 (70111838) ; TSUCHIYA Kimiyuki Associate Professor, Experimental Animal Center, Miyazaki Medical College, 実験動物施設, 助教授 (30155402) ; MORIWAKI Kazuo Professor, Department of Cytogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, 細胞遺伝部, 教授 (50000229)
• Project Period (FY): 1992 – 1993
• Keywords: Mouse / Oncogenesis / host resestance gene / Murine Leukemia virus / Speciation / Evolution

Research Abstract

This project aims to collect wild mice, Mus musculus, from various places of south Asia and to analyze endogenous Murine Leukemia viruses (MuLVs). Wild mice of this area are known to carry Cas-E type endogenous ecotropic MuLVs. In 1993, we tried to collect M.mus in six countries, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines and Korea. Among them, Malaysia was only country from which we could not collect M.mus. Like Malaysia, we have not succeeded to collect this species from Thai and southern part of Vietnam. We suspect there are very few M.mus in Indochina and Malay peninsulas.
We analyzed wild mouse DNAs by Southern blot analysis using two ecotropic MuLV specific probes (Cas-E type specific env probe and AKV specific env probe) and cellular flanking sequences of the Fv-4^r gene which is a Cas-E type endogenous MuLV and functions as the host resistance gene against infection by ecotropic MuLVs. Overall results from this project indicated that wild mice can be largely classified into 3 groups in terms of endogenous MuLVs. (1) Carriers of both Cas-E types endogenous MuLVs and the Fv-4^r gene were found in wide areas, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Northern part of Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines. The distribution of this type of mice appears to be identical of that of M.mus castaneus subspecies. The incidences of carrier of Cas-E MuLVs and the Fv-4^r gene were 95-100% and about 90% in these areas. (2) Korean and Japanese M.mus were distinct from south Asian M.mus. They carry the Fv-4^r gene and AKV type endogenous MuLVs, but no Cas-E type endogenous MuLVs. (3) Neither endogenous Cas-E type or AKV type MuLV was found in mice from northern parts of India (Leh) and Pakistan (Islamabad). A small number of mice from middle part of Pakistan were analyzed. A half of the mice carries only 1 or 2 copies of Cas-E type endogenous MuLVs, suggesting that Pakistan is a hybrid zone of carriers of Cas-E type MuLVs and non-carrier.