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A new virion precipitation test for oncovirus envelope antigens which detects common antigenic determinants in mammalian type‐C viruses and mason‐pfizer monkey virus
Author(s) -
Altstein A. D.,
Zakharova L. G.,
Zhdanov V. M.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910230323
Subject(s) - virology , antigen , virus , biology , oncovirus , tumor virus , viral envelope , antibody , genetics , carcinogenesis , cancer
A method for the study of oncovirus envelope antigens was developed, based on the precipitation of intact virions by a double antibody technique. The amount of precipitated virus was then measured as reverse transcriptase activity. The method was designated the virion precipitation test (VPT). It has been used for titration of antibodies to envelope antigens of oncoviruses. The study of envelop antigens of 11 different oncoviruses permitted their differentiation into the following groups: (1) murine type‐C viruses: (2) feline type‐C viruses; (3) simian type‐C viruses; (4) the RD‐114/BEV group; (5) Mason‐Pfizer monkey virus (M‐PMV); (6) bovine leukemia virus; (7) avian type‐C viruses; (8) mouse mammary tumor virus. No common antigenic determinants were detected in the last three groups. Mammalian type‐C viruses (RD‐114, NIH‐MuLV, G‐MuLV) had common antigenic determinants in the envelope, as demonstrated with an anti‐RD‐114 serum. Mammalian type‐C viruses also shared antigenic determinants with M‐PMV. The relationship of type‐C viruses to M‐PMV decreased in the follwoing order: RD‐114—NIH‐MuLV—G‐MuLV. It was also shown that the endogenous xenotropic feline RD‐114 virus was more closely related to xenotropic NIH‐MuLV than to ecotropic G‐MuLV. The nature of the common antigenic determinants, as demonstrated by VPT on the surface of mammalian type‐C viruses and M‐PMV, and their significance for the concept of oncovirus evolution are discussed.