Specific viral antigens in rat cells transformed by herpes simplex virus type 2 and in rat tumors induced by inoculation of transformed cells.

A rat cell line, RE1, oncogenically transformed by a herpes simplex virus type 2 ts mutant (ts 1), has been demonstrated to contain herpes simplex virus type 2-specific thymidine kinase activity, as have two of four tumors induced in rats by inoculation of these transformed cells. A high proportion of sera from tumor-bearing rats (5 of 11) have detectable antibody against herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase, and there is a correlation between enzyme activity in a tumor and antibody in "tumor sera." A proportion of tumor sera possess neutralizing activity for herpes simplex virus infectivity. Immunfluorescence studies indicate that the transformed cells express antigens which are probably induced early in herpes simplex virus type 2-productive infection.