Surface antigens of mammalian sarcoma virus-transformed nonproducer cells.

In vitro, clonal BALB/3T3 mouse cells were transformed into nonproductive sarcoma cells by Kirsten murine sarcoma virus. The resulting cells are called K-BALB. Similarly, the Kirsten sarcoma virus and woolly monkey sarcoma virus transformed normal rat embryonic kidney (NRK) cells to nonproductive sarcoma cells K-NRK and W-NRK, respectively. The presence of sarcoma cell surface antigen (SCSA) on these three different cell lines has been examined by immunoelectron microscopy using the rabbit anti-K-BALB, anti-K-NRK, and anti-W-NRK sera preabsorbed with normal embryonic rat cells, NRK cells, and BALB/3T3 cells. Four different specific sarcoma cell surface antigens have been demonstrated: SCSAa, an antigen specific to the surface of W-NRK cells; SCSAb, a surface antigen common to K-NRK and W-NRK cells; SCSAc, a surface antigen common to K-BALB and W-NRK cells; and SCSAd, a surface antigen broadly reactive with the rabbit antisera to W-NRK, K-NRK, and K-BALB.