Tyrosine phosphorylation sites common to transforming proteins encoded by Gardner and Snyder-Theilen FeSV

Physical modification of purified Rous sarcoma virus pp60v-src protein after incubation with ATP/Mg2+

Using partially purified enzyme preparations, we show that incubation of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein kinase, pp60v-src, with Mg2+ and ATP at concentrations near or above the enzyme's Km for ATP resulted in a physical modification of the pp60v-src polypeptide. Under such conditions, a portion of pp60v-src was converted to a form that migrated more slowly in SDS-polyacrylamide gels than enzyme incubated without ATP or with low concentrations of ATP. Comparative tryptic peptide mapping of pp60v-src incubated with low and high levels of ATP revealed that more extensive tyrosine phosphorylation of the pp60v-src polypeptide occurred at the higher concentrations of ATP. This more extensive phosphorylation was characterized by the appearance of several new phosphorylated tyrosine residues on both the amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal portions of the pp60v-src molecule. The possible consequences of these modifications on the protein kinase activity of pp60v-src, and the functional regulation of retrovirus transforming proteins in general, are discussed.

Homology between phosphotyrosine acceptor site of human c-abl and viral oncogene products

The human homologues of several independent viral oncogenes, each of which encodes tyrosine-specific protein kinases, have been identified. Of these, three (v-src, v-yes and v-fes/fps) are known to exhibit considerable sequence homology, particularly in the regions of their phosphorylation acceptor sites. In the present study, sequences encoding the tyrosine phosphorylation acceptor sites of the Abelson murine leukaemia virus oncogene, v-abl, and its human cellular homologue, c-abl, have been identified and their nucleic acid sequences determined. Our results establish extensive homology between this region of c-abl and acceptor domains of the v-src, v-yes and v-fes/fps family of viral oncogenes, as well as more distant relatedness to the catalytic chain of the mammalian cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. These findings suggest that, of the homologues of retroviral oncogenes with tyrosine protein kinase activity examined to date, all were probably derived from a common progenitor and may represent members of a diverse family of cellular protein kinases.

Monoclonal antibodies to feline sarcoma virus gag and fes gene translational products

A series of hybridomas have been isolated which produce monoclonal antibodies directed against polyprotein gene products of the Gardner, Snyder-Theilen, and McDonough strains of FeSV. Within these are representatives of several immunoglobulin classes including IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgM. Antibody produced by one hybridoma recognizes immunologic determinants localized within an FeLV gag gene structural component (p15) common to polyproteins encoded by all three FeSV isolates whereas antibody produced by a second is specific for p30 determinants unique to P170gag-fms. Additional hybridomas secrete antibody directed against v-fes-encoded determinants common to the Gardner and Snyder-Theilen FeSV-encoded polyproteins. GA P110gag-fes and ST P85gag-fes immuno-precipitated by antibody directed against p15 exhibit tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity but lack such activity when precipitated by antibody specific for their acquired sequence (v-fes) components.