Purification of adenovirus type 12 tumor antigen from transformed hamster cells

Purification of a native membrane-associated adenovirus tumor antigen

A 15,000-dalton protein was purified from HeLa cells infected with adenovirus type 2. Proteins solubilized from a membrane fraction of lytically infected cells was used as the starting material for purification. Subsequent purification steps involved lentil-lectin, phosphocellulose, hydroxyapatite, DEAE-cellulose, and aminohexyl-Sepharose chromatographies. A monospecific antiserum, raised against the purified protein, immunoprecipitated a 15,000-dalton protein encoded in early-region E1B (E1B/15K protein) of the adenovirus type 2 DNA. Tryptic finger print analysis revealed that the purified protein was identical to the E1B/15K protein encoded in the transforming part of the viral genome. The antiserum immunoprecipitated the E1B/15K protein from a variety of viral transformed cell lines isolated from humans, rats, or hamsters. The E1B/15K protein was associated with the membrane fraction of both lytically and virus-transformed cell lines and could only be released by detergent treatment. Furthermore, a 11,000- to 12,000-dalton protein that could be precipitated with the anti-E1B/15K serum was recovered from membranes treated with trypsin or proteinase K, suggesting that a major part of the E1B/15K protein is protected in membrane vesicles. Translation of early viral mRNA in a cell-free system, supplemented with rough microsomes, showed that this protein was associated with the membrane fraction also in vitro.

Comparative study by immunofluorescence of T and P antigens induced by adenovirus type 12 in permissive and nonpermissive cells

The development of adenovirus type 12 T antigen and of the complex of antigenic early proteins designated as P antigen was studied by immunofluorescence in productively infected KB cells and abortively infected RK-13 cells. T antigen is detected in both cell types very early in infection. In KB cells it presents the well known pattern of nuclear dots and flecks but in RK-13 cells at the time of maximum abundance, 18 hours p.i., T antigen forms a net of long filaments that fills the nucleus. Later, part of the filaments condense into a large aggregate that finally is apparently degraded. P antigen in infected RK-13 cells looks like T antigen in KB cells. In these cells, besides an early phase wherein P antigen is almost indistinguishable from T antigen, a late component is evident under the form of large balls and rosettes. The possible identification of this component with the DNA binding protein is discussed.