Expression of mouse mammary tumor viral polypeptides in milks and tissues.

A 14,000-dalton polypeptide (p14) from RIII murine mammary tumor virus (MMTV) has been isolated by column chromatography in 6 M GuHCl. Antiserum prepared in rabbits specifically precipitated 125I-labeled p14; in double antibody competition, radioimmunoassays performed with limiting amounts of antibody, both purified p14 and disrupted MMTV, competed specifically with labeled antigen. The expression of this MMTV type B virus antigen could be measured by competition radioimmunoassays in milks, mammary glands, tumors, and tissue culture cells. MMTV expression measured by p14 immunoassay correlated well with the spontaneous incidence of mammary adenocarcinomas in different murine strains but not with type C MuLV p30 antigen expression. Levels of MMTV gp52, the major type-B viral glycoprotein, corresponded to p14 levels, suggesting that their control is comparably regulated. Evidence that this low m.w. polypeptide is present in feral and inbred strains of widely differing geographic origin and in MMTV with apparently different biologic properties suggests surprising conservation of MMTV protein homology.