Adenovirus type 12 tumor antigen. I. Separation from DNA polymerase alpha and immunoprecipitation of tumor-antigen polypeptides

Adenovirus type 12-transformed rat embryo brain and rat liver epithelial cell lines: adenovirus type 12 genome content and viral protein expression

By Southern blotting analysis, six adenovirus type 12 (Ad-12)-transformed rat embryo brain cell lines and one Ad-12-transformed rat liver epithelial line were shown to contain all or nearly all the Ad-12 genome. Another Ad-12 rat liver epithelial cell line contained a repeating structure consisting of only the left-hand 16% of the Ad-12 genome. Three Ad-12-specified proteins (molecular weights, 52,000, 41,000, and 18,000) were found by immunoprecipitation to be common to all of these cell lines. Two rat liver epithelial lines, produced from an Ad-12-infected culture and previously shown to be T-antigen negative by immunofluorescence, contained no detectable Ad-12 genome or Ad-12-specified proteins. Although some of the rat embryo brain transformants had been shown previously to express "late" Ad-12 mRNA, no Ad-12 structural proteins were found to be produced by these cell lines.

Stimulation of DNA polymerase alpha by a nuclear DNA/protein complex

A nuclear DNA complex containing DNA polymerase and SV40 T-antigen was isolated from nuclei of SV40-transformed mouse fibroblasts. DNA polymerase could be separated from the complex. The remaining DNA/T-antigen-containing complex stimulated DNA polymerase alpha activity about 10-fold. The complex contained 4 major proteins with molecular weights of 46, 54, 76, and 94 kilo-dalton (KD). The stimulation activity was retained by protein A-Sepharose loaded with specific IgG from SV40-tumor bearer serum, or from antisera against the 94 KD and 76 KD components and was partially inhibited in the presence of these antisera. The stimulation activity was completely abolished by treatment of the complex with trypsin or DNase I.

Two tumor antigens and their polypeptides in adenovirus type 12-infected and transformed cells

A tumor (T) antigen, designated T antigen g, was visualized as fine fluorescent granules in nuclei of adenovirus type 12 (Ad12)-infected cells by immunofluorescence with sera from rats bearing HY cell tumors (H sera). HY cells are rat cells incompletely transformed by the Acc I-H endonuclease fragment (0-4.7 map units) of Ad12 DNA. The antigen is different from the usually described T antigen, designated T antigen f, which is visualized as fluorescent flecks or filaments in both nucleus and cytoplasm of Ad12-infected cells when tested with narrowly reacting T sera. Extracts of [(35)S]methioninelabeled infected cells were immunoprecipitated with H sera, and the resultant precipitate was analyzed by the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technique of O'Farrell. The autoradiogram showed the presence of a cluster of several polypeptides (M(r) 35,000-40,000, pI 5.0-5.5) that was absent in extracts of mock-infected cells. A similar autoradiogram of infected cells analyzed with narrowly reacting T sera showed the presence of a small polypeptide (M(r) 10,000, pI 6.4), that was absent in extracts of mock-infected cells. The results show that M(r) 35,000-40,000 polypeptides are components of T antigen g and a M(r) 10,000 polypeptide is a component of T antigen f. Ad12-transformed cells showed a similar result. T antigen g was present and T antigen f was absent in HY cells. Both T antigen g and T antigen f were present in CY cells, which are rat cells completely transformed by the EcoRI-C endonuclease fragment (0-16 map units) of Ad12 DNA. The possible functions of these proteins are discussed.