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Polyoma (Py) and simian virus 40 (SV40) exert a broad spectrum of biological effects in apparent contrast to the small molecular weight of their DNA (ca. 3 × 106 daltons). Polyoma induces different types of tumors in mice and related rodents, while SV40 induces subcutaneous tumors, leukemias and lymphomas in hamsters (Eddy 1964, 1969; Diamandopoulos 1973); both viruses can “transform” tissue culture cells; transformed cells contain integrated viral DNA, synthesize virus-specific RNA and T antigen, exhibit surface alterations (e.g., virus-specific transplantation antigens) and an increased potential for growth under various selective conditions; last but not least, infection of permissive cells leads to the production of progeny virus containing 6 or 7 structural polypeptides which, if specified by the viral genome, would require its entire coding capacity (for details, see Defendi 1966; Tooze 1973; Weil et al. 1974; Weil 1975).
Weil et al. (Tue,) studied this question.