Feline oncornavirus-associated cell membrane antigen: evidence for an immunologically crossreactive feline sarcoma virus-coded protein.

The feline oncornavirus-associated cell membrane antigen (FOCMA) acts as a target for natural immuno-surveillance against tumor development in the cat. In the present study, mink and rat cells nonproductively transformed by feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) were shown to express FOCMA as well as 5'-terminal feline leukemia virus (FeLV) gag gene proteins, p15 and p12. In contrast, such cells lack detectable levels of other FeLV gag gene-coded proteins or the env gene product, gp70. FOCMA, p15, and p12 antigen expression is initially in the form of an 80,000-100,000 molecular weight precursor which, upon post-translational cleavage, gives rise to a 65,000 molecular weight component that contains FOCMA and a 25,000 molecular weight component containing p15 and p12. Feline lymphoma cells, including those from several tumors that lacked detectable levels of FeLV structural protein expression, were shown to be FOCMA-positive. These findings strongly suggest that FOCMA represents an FeSV-coded transformation specific protein and provide preliminary information regarding the position within the FeSV genome coding for its synthesis.