L. Gross et Y. Dreyfuss, STUDIES ON LEUKEMIA DEVELOPING SPONTANEOUSLY IN AN INBRED FAMILY OF RATS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Statesof America, 90(11), 1993, pp. 5110-5112
This study is a continuation of our recently reported observations on
leukemia and lymphomas developing spontaneously in a subline of Spragu
e-Dawley rats bred by brother-to-sister mating in our laboratory. The
previous preliminary report described our observations made in the cou
rse of the initial 12 generations of our leukemic subline. The current
study reviews the data collected during 8 additional generations and
results of experimental and morphologic studies. There was no problem
in transmitting the spontaneously developing leukemia by inoculation o
f suspensions of leukemic cells into newborn or very young suckling Sp
rague-Dawley rats. Attempts to transmit the disease by inoculation of
cell-free, filtered leukemic extracts gave thus far positive results o
nly in one experiment in which two of six inoculated rats developed le
ukemia and a third one developed an angiosarcoma on the neck. In six a
dditional experiments, of a total of 37 rats inoculated with leukemic
filtrates, none developed leukemia and 9 females developed mammary fib
roadenomas. Reviews of microscopic slides of blood and of sections of
lymphoid tumors, livers, spleens, kidneys, and fragments of bone marro
w of the leukemic animals are discussed as well as electron microscopi
c studies.