A cultured human oligodendroglioma cell line and herpes simplex virus-infected cells share antigenic determinants.

Cell cultures derived from 60 different human brain tumors were screened for the presence of HSV infected cell antigens by indirect immunofluorescence using a polyclonal rabbit antiserum reacting with herpes simplex virus (HSV), 3 monoclonal antibodies recognising different HSV-specified proteins, and one monoclonal antibody T181 reacting with a DNA binding protein present in HSV-infected cells. Only one tumor (IN/157), derived from an oligodendroglioma, stained with the polyclonal antiserum. T181 but none of the other monoclonal antibodies used also specifically reacted with IN/157 cells. High levels of the T181-defined protein were detected using immunoblotting in HSV-1 infected BHK/21 cells but not in IN/157 cells. T181 may react with either an epitope shared between two different molecules in HSV-1 infected and IN/157 cells or a cell-specified polypeptide that is upregulated after HSV-1 infection.