Structure of the gene of tum- transplantation antigen P35B: presence of a point mutation in the antigenic allele.

Mutagen treatment of P815 tumour cells produces tum- variants that are rejected by syngeneic mice because they express new transplantation antigens. These 'tum-' antigens elicit a cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) response but no detectable antibody response. The DNA of tum- variant P35 was transfected into P815 cell line P1.HTR. Transfectants expressing tum- antigen P35B were identified on the basis of their ability to stimulate anti-P35B CTL. This was repeated with a cosmid library and a cosmid carrying the sequence encoding antigen P35B was recovered from a transfectant expressing the antigen. Gene P35B is 6 kb long and contains 11 exons. The sequence shows no homology with the previously identified tum- gene P91A nor with any gene presently recorded in the data banks. The antigenic allele of gene P35B differs from the normal allele by a point mutation located in exon 5. This mutation, which replaces a Ser by an Asn residue, was shown by site-directed mutagenesis to be responsible for the expression of the antigen. A synthetic decapeptide covering the sequence surrounding the tum- mutation rendered P815 cells sensitive to lysis by anti-P35B CTL. Surprisingly, the homologous peptide corresponding to the normal sequence of the gene had the same effect, indicating that this tum- mutation does not exert its effect by generating the aggretope or the epitope of the antigenic peptide. As observed previously with gene P91A, we found that fragments of gene P35B containing only exons 4 and 5, which were cloned in non-expression vectors, transferred efficiently the expression of the antigen.