This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Das, M. R. Articles by Mink, M. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Das, M. R. Articles by Mink, M. M.

Sequence Homology of Nucleic Acids from Human Breast Cancer Cells and Complementary DNA's from Murine Mammary Tumor Virus and Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus¹

Department of Biology, Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit, Michigan 48230

Simultaneous presence of murine mammary tumor virus- and Mason-Pfizer monkey virus-specific sequences has been detected in nucleic acids isolated from some human breast tumors and from MCF-7 cells, a well-characterized human breast cancer cell line. Carefully characterized long complementary DNA transcripts were used in the molecular hybridization experiments. From the data that are presently available, it would appear that when homology is detected with one of the mammary tumor probes the other also generally shows homology. Among all the complementary DNA-RNA hybrids only three, all murine mammary tumor virus hybrids, show T_m values close to 80°. The rest of the hybrids are low melting with shallow slopes for their C_rt curves, indicating partial and imperfect hybrids in the majority of cases. Low levels of weak hybrid formation are also detectable with the tumor DNA's. The present experiments cannot ascertain whether the hybridizing sequences from Mason-Pfizer monkey virus and murine mammary tumor virus code for specific viral functions in their natural hosts. Annealing experiments using gene specific cDNA's would be required for fully characterizing these sequences.

¹ Supported by Contract NOI-CP-33747 from the Virus Cancer Program, National Cancer Institute, and an institutional grant from the United Foundation of Detroit and the Suzanne Korman Cancer Research Laboratory.

² To whom reprint requests should be addressed, at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Regional Research Laboratory, Hyderabad 500 009, India.

Received 12/ 4/78. Accepted 8/ 9/79.