HOST GENETIC CONTROL OF RECOVERY FROM FRIEND LEUKEMIA VIRUS-INDUCED SPLENOMEGALY : Mapping of a Gene Within the Major Histocompatability Complex

The influence of the major mouse histocompatibility gene complex (H-2) on the response of mice to Friend leukemia virus was studied in F₁ congenic mice differing only at genes within the H-2 complex. F₁ mice which were H-2^b/b had a high incidence of recovery from splenomegaly compared to H-2^b/d or H-2^b/a mice. In mice with recombinations within the H-2 complex a gene (designated RFV-1), responsible for the Friend virus recovery effect, was found to map near or within the D region of serologically detectable transplantation antigens. Because the incidence of recovery was much higher in F₁ H-2^b/b mice than in parental H-2^b/b mice, other non-H-2 host genetic factors also appear to be important to expression of recovery in H-2^b/b F₁ mice. The mechanisms of action of these genes remain unknown.