The abnormal location of cytoplasmic SV40 large T is not caused by failure to bind to DNA or to p53.

We have examined the large T encoded by an SV40 mutant, d10, which fails to localize to the nucleus. The DNA sequence of the mutant predicts the alteration of Lys 128----Thr within the sequence 127 Lys Lys Lys Arg Lys 131 of large T. The results show that d10 large T is capable of binding to SV40 DNA, to cellular DNA and to the cellular phosphoprotein p53 as well as wild-type large T. These data suggest that the cytoplasmic location of d10 large T is not due to an inability of the protein to be retained within the nucleus, but argues instead that the protein fails to reach the nucleus because it contains a defective nuclear location signal.