Solubilization and characterization of Herpesvirus saimiri-induced membrane antigens.

Treatment of Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS)-infected owl monkey cells by limited papain digestion removed the HVS-induced membrane antigen (MA) as determined by membrane immunofluorescence and antibody-dependent lymphocyte cytotoxicity (ADLC). Soluble antigenically active HVSMA was detected by inhibition of ADLC and by the decreased binding of 125I-labeled staphylococcus protein A to HVS-infected cells after absorption of an anti-MA-positive serum with papain extracts. Approximately 38% of the inhibitory activity of the papain extracts was sedimentable at 100,000 X g, indicating that the released MA was heterogeneous in size. Preliminary investigations by gel filtration chromatography identified a major peak of MA with a molecular weight between 20,000 and 50,000.