LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF AVIAN MYELOBLASTOSIS VIRUS

AVIAN MYELOBLASTOSIS VIRUS (AMV), A SOURCE OF REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE FOR USE IN RECOMBINANT DNA WORK, IS CURRENTLY PRODUCED COMMERCIALLY FROM THE PLASMA OF LEUKEMIC CHICKS. PRODUCTION INVOLVES INOCULATION OF SEVERAL HUNDRED DAY-OLD CHICKS WITH AMV AND HARVEST OF VIRUS-CONTAINING BLOOD BY HEART PUNCTURE 7 TO 10 DAYS LATER. THE RESEARCH PROPOSED WILL INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF COMMERCIAL-SCALE PRODUCTION OF AMV FROM CELL CULTURES OF CHICKEN MYELOBLASTS.PROCEDURES FOR IN VITRO TRANSFORMATION OF CHICKEN MACROPHAGELINEAGE CELLS WITH AMV AND THE IN VITRO GROWTH OF THE TRANSFORMED CELLS ON A SMALL SCALE ARE WELL KNOWN. LARGE-SCALE CULTURE OF AMV-TRANSFORMED MYELOBLASTS HAS ALSO BEEN ACHIEVED, BUT WITH SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED APPARATUS. THE PRESENT PROPOSAL DISCUSSES ADAPTATION OF RECENT ADVANCESIN CELL CULTURE CONDITIONS AND APPARATUS FOR LARGE-SCALE CELL CULTURE TO PRODUCTION OF AMV. SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CELL CULTURE METHOD WILL GIVE A PROCEDURE THAT IS BOTH MORE ECONOMICAL AND MORE HUMANE THAN THE PRESENT IN VIVO METHOD.