Abstract
Summary
Exposure of hamster and mouse embryo cells to X-irradiation prior to infection with Simian virus 40 (SV40) significantly increased the frequency of transformation in vitro. Neonatal hamsters were tested for increased sensitivity to SV40 tumorigenicity after exposure to localized, low-level X-ray at the site of virus inoculation in vivo. Results showed that irradiation of a target area prior to infection markedly decreased the time to tumor appearance and increased the frequency of tumor occurrence. No tumors occurred in irradiated animals that did not receive virus. Although low doses of localized X-ray may have resulted in modest immunologic suppression, this was not a primary factor in tumor enhancement. Tumors appearing in SV40-infected animals uniformly possessed viral neoantigens.
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