NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE INDUCED IN TRANSGENIC MICE EXPRESSING THE ENV GENE OF THE CAS-BR-E MURINE RETROVIRUS

The Cas-Br-E murine leukemia virus induces a spongiform myeloencephalo pathy in susceptible mice. We constructed transgenic mice harboring ei ther the viral genome (in a replication-defective form) or only its en v gene. Low levels of expression of either transgene resulted in mild neuropathology and/or signs of neurological disease in more than half of these mice. These results indicate that the disease can occur in th e absence of virus replication and strongly suggest that the env gp70/ p15E complex is sufficient to induce disease.