Detection of a nuclear antigen in Herpesvirus ateles-carrying marmoset lines by the acid-fixed nuclear binding technique.

In vitro binding of a Herpesvirus ateles (HVA)-associated soluble antigen to amphibian erythrocyte nuclei was demonstrated by the acid-fixed nuclear binding technique in combination with anticomplement immunofluorescence. Incubation of concentrated salt-extracted soluble antigens derived from HVA-carrying marmoset lines with methanol/acetic acid-fixed erythrocytes of frogs and salamanders resulted in a brilliant nuclear fluorescence after exposure to a live virus-boostered, anti-HVS-positive squirrel monkey serum. Anti-HVS-negative sera did not stain. The activity of the positive serum could be abosrbed completely with extracts of HVA-carrying cells but not with Epstein-Barr virus-carrying or Herpesvirus papio-carrying cells. The HVA-associated antigen was also present in lytically HVA-infected marmoset kidney cells.