Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J R Stephenson.
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Fujinami sarcoma virus (FSV) of chickens does not contain nucleotide sequences related to the src gene of Rous sarcoma virus, but it carries unique sequences of at least 3000 bases, which are likely to code for the transforming protein of this virus. Using radioactive DNA complementary to FSV-unique sequences, we investigated the relatedness of FSV to other sarcoma-leukemia retroviruses in vertebrates. Under conditions of moderate stringency, no cross-hybridization was detected between FSV cDNA and RNAs of Rous sarcoma virus, Y73 avian sarcoma virus, several representative avian acute leukemia viruses, or Abelson murine leukemia virus. This cDNA, however, did hybridize with RNA of PRCII sarcoma virus of chickens to the extent of 56%. In addition, FSV cDNA was found to hybridize with RNAs of Gardner-Arnstein and Snyder-Theilen strains of feline sarcoma virus to the extent of 27% and 19%, respectively, but not with RNA of McDonough feline sarcoma virus. Studies on thermal denaturation of hybrids showed that the melting temperatures of the heteroduplexes of the FSV cDNA with RNAs of PRCII and Gardner-Arnstein feline sarcoma virus were 7 degrees C and 12 degrees C lower, respectively, compared with the melting temperature of the homologous hybrid of FSV, and suggested less than 10% mismatching in both heteroduplexes. These results indicate that nucleotide sequences closely related to at least a part of FSV-unique sequences are present in the genomes of other sarcoma viruses obtained in chickens and in cats.
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Polyproteins encoded by several independent isolates of feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) were analyzed with respect to molecular weight, extent of phosphorylation, and tryptic peptide composition. As previously reported, cells nonproductively transformed by the Gardner strain of FeSV express a polyprotein which has a molecular weight of approximately 115,000 and contains feline leukemia virus p15, p12, and minor portion of p30. In addition, a major 72,000-dalton possible cleavage product can be identified. Snyder-Theilen FeSV-transformed cells express a major polyprotein of approximately 115,000 daltons and a second highly related 80,000-dalton protein. The p12 structural component of Gardner FeSV P115, but not Snyder-Theilen FeSV 115, corresponds to feline leukemia virus subgroup A with respect to immunological type specificity, a finding consistent with the independent origin of these viruses. Tryptic peptide analysis revealed five methionine-containing peptides specific to the nonstructural portion of Gardner FeSV 115, three of which were also represented in Snyder-Theilen FeSV P115, three of which were also represented in Snyder-Theilen FeSV P115. None of these [35S]methionine-labeled tryptic peptides were present in translational products representative of the complete feline leukemia virus subgroup A genome, including Pr180gag-pol, Pr65gag, and Pr82env. Similarly phosphorylated tryptic peptides within the structural (p12) and nonstructural components of Gardner FeSV P115 and Snyder-Theilen FeSV P115 Are highly related. These findings support the possibility that acquired sequences of two independently derived isolates of FeSV encode structurally related proteins.
In this study, we demonstrated the expression of a 170,000-Mr polyprotein in each of several McDonough feline sarcoma virus (FeSV)-transformed mink cell clones and one McDonough FeSV-transformed rat clone. This polyprotein designated McDonough FeSV P170, contained feline leukemia virus (FeLV) p15, p12, and p30 immunological determinants and shared two of its five [35S]methionine-labeled tryptic peptides with FeLV Pr180gag-pol. Both of these peptides were shown to be specific to the p30 component of Pr180gag-pol. The remaining McDonough FeSV P170 methionine-containing peptides were not represented within either FeLV Pr180gag-pol or Pr82env. Of interest, of the three peptides specific to the nonstructural component of McDonough FeSV P170, one was also represented in the 115,000-Mr polyproteins encoded by the Gardner and Snyder-Theilen strains of FeSV. These findings raise the possibility that the nonstructural components of polyproteins encoded by each of the three independently derived feline transforming viruses contained both common and unique regions. Moreover, if the sequences encoding these components are involved in transformation, as appears to be the case, our findings establish that the position of their insertion within the gag-pol region of the FeLV genome can vary among individual isolates.
Several transformation-defective (td) mutants of Abelson murine leukemia virus (AbLV) are described. Cells nonproductively infected with such mutants exhibited a high degree of growth contact inhibition, failed to form colonies in soft agar, lacked rescuable transforming virus, and were as susceptible as uninfected control cells to transformation by wild-type (wt) AbLV pseudotype virus. In addition, each of several td AbLV nonproductively infected cell clones analyzed was found to be nontumorigenic in vivo. Biochemical analysis of td mutant AbLV-infected clones revealed levels of expression of the major AbLV translational product, P120, and a highly related 80,000-Mr AbLV-encoded protein, P80, at concentrations analogous to those in wt AbLV-transformed cells. Although the AbLV-specific 120,000-Mr polyproteins expressed in td mutant AbLV-infected clones were indistinguishable from those in wt AbLV-transformed lines with respect to molecular weight and [35S]methionine tryptic peptide composition, they each differed from wt AbLV P120 in their patterns of post-translational phosphorylation. A previously described AbLV-associated protein kinase activity is shown to recognize as substrate a major tyrosine-specific acceptor site(s) contained within a single well-resolved tryptic peptide common to both AbLV P120 and P80. In vitro [gamma-32P]ATP-mediated labeling of this phosphorylation site was reduced to below detectable levels in td mutant nonproductively infected cell clones. These findings establish that the AbLV-encoded polyprotein P120 and its associated protein kinase activity are involved in AbLV tumorigenesis.
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A previously described 120,000 dalton polyprotein, P120, encoded by the Abelson strain of murine leukemia virus (AbLV) is compared to translational products representing the entire Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) genome. Each of three [35S]-methionine tryptic present in Moloney-MuLV Pr65gag are also represented in Pr180gag-pol. Of these, one peptide corresponding to Moloney-MuLV p12, but neither of two p30 specific peptides are present in AbLV P120. None of the twelve remaining methionine containing peptides present in AbLV P120 appear to correspond to those of either Moloney-MuLV Pr82env. AbLV P120 and a 110,000 dalton polyprotein encoded by a second transforming isolate of mouse origin, designated AK-T8, are both shown to be highly phosphorylated. Sites of phosphorylation included known phosphorylated structural (p12) components, as well as components encoded by acquired cellular sequences. Immunoprecipitates of AbLV P120 obtained from either cells or pseudotype virions are shown to contain protein kinase activity which recognizes AbLv P120 as substrate. This activity may represent an intrinsic property of the polyprotein itself or represent a cellular enzyme associated with AbLV P120 in the form of an enzyme-substrate complex.
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The natural immune response in mice to their endogenous type-C viruses involves a complex interaction between cellular and humoral immune mechanisms. The virus-specific immune reactivities are a function of age and appear only subsequent to endogenous virus expression. Cellular immune activity was found to reside in a population of lymphocytes that were characterized as natural killer cells based on their absence of theta surface antigens or immunoglobulin or complement receptors. Cellular and humoral virus-specific immune responses co-occur in the same animal and pretreatment of virus-positive target cells with sera from virus-positive aging mice is capable of partially blocking the cytotoxic activity of reactive lymphocytes. The blocking activity of sera from individual mice increases as a function of age and endogenous virus expression and is highly correlated with the virus-specific complement-dependent cytotoxic activity of these sera. Mouse sera, whether naturally immune or immune as a result of hyperimmunization with type-C virus, exhibit blocking activity that can be removed by absorption with purified type-C virus or purified viral glycoprotein (gp 70) but not by absorption with noninfected syngeneic cells. High-titered and highly specific antisera directed against certain individual R-MuLV structural proteins reveal blocking activity. Monospecific antisera to gp 70 and p 12 exhibited high-titered blocking reactivities which are absorbable by the respective purified proteins. Blocking activity of antisera directed against other viral structural proteins could not be excluded with certainty. These findings raise the possibility that immunity in the mouse to endogenous type-C virus or virus-infected cells involves competition between serum-blocking activity and natural-killer cell activity and further provides a unique model system for studying the mechanism of action of blocking antisera known to have monospecific reactivity against defined and purifiable transplantation antigens.
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Precipitation with hyperimmune rabbit sera, sera from patients convalescing from measles, and sera from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, followed by electrophoresis, enabled antigenic relationships between the individual polypeptides of measles and canine distemper viruses to be examined. Virus isolates from patients with acute measles or subacute sclerosing panencephalitis showed no antigenic differences. With rabbit hyperimmune sera, antigenic crossreactivity was present between all polypeptides of measles and canine distemper viruses except H. The N polypeptides showed the highest degree of crossreactivity and were interpreted as group-specific antigens. Both convalescent measles sera and sera from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis showed high antibody titers to all measles polypeptides except L and M. However, these sera contained only low activities to the N and F1 polypeptides from canine distemper virus.
The amino acid composition, the COOH-terminal amino acid, and the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 55 residues of the major internal structural protein, p24, of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) were determined. The compositional data and the results of end-group analysis revealed that, although BLV p24 is chemically distinct, it more closely resembles the p30 structural proteins than the other gag gene products of mammalian retroviruses. It was found that BLV p24 shares the common NH2-terminal proline and COOH-terminal leucine but lacks the common prolylleucylarginine tripeptide and the larger conserved region found near the NH2 terminus of all mammalian type C viral p30s. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of BLV p24 with the previously determined sequence of feline leukemia virus p27 revealed a statistically significant sequence homology. A more distant relationship was found between BLV p24 and other mammalian p30s. The finding of a definite sequence homology between BLV p24 and mammalian type C virus p30s clearly establishes the origin of these contemporary viral proteins from common progenitor genes.
Healthy cats, including those exposed to feline leukemia virus in leukemia cluster households, lack evidence of humoral immunity to virion surface antigens of the endogenous RD-114 virus.
A polypeptide (p40) of approximately 40,000 molecular weight was isolated from herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 nucleocapsids by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. This protein appears to be the same as protein 22a described previously (Gibson and Roizman, J. Virol. 10:1044--1052, 1972). Competition immunoassays were developed by using purified p40 and antisera prepared in guinea pigs. The assays indicated that the p40's from herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 possess both type-specific and cross-reactive antigenic determinants. Antibodies to the p40 cross-reactive determinant reacted with antigens in simian herpes virus SA8-infected cells, but not with antigens induced by pseudorabies virus. Preliminary results indicated that a radioimmunoprecipitation test can be used to detect type-specific herpes simplex virus p40 antibodies in human sera.