Rauscher leukemia virus-induced tumor antigens: complete separation from gp70, p30 and H-2.

The possibility that some or all of the viral proteins, gp70, p30, and the histocompatibility antigen, H-2, function as the tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) of the R-MuLV-induced leukemia, RBL-5, and also in the secondary in vitro induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), was investigated. The antigen was obtained by isolating the plasma membranes of RBL-5 cells and solubilizing with sodium deoxycholate (DOC) followed by gel filtration chromatography. A fraction containing excellent tumor-rejection activity but low amounts of gp70, p30 and H-2 was chromatographed on goat anti-gp 70 goat anti-p 30 and sheep anti-H-2b immunoaffinity columns. The data obtained indicate that gp 70, p 30 or H-2 do not function as TSTA of RBL-5 leukemia, individually or as a complex. Similarly, the antigen responsible for the specific secondary induction of CTL in vitro is distinct from these three proteins.