Phosphorylation of chromatin- and ribosome-associated proteins in cells transformed by adenovirus, murine sarcoma virus, and methylcholanthrene.

Endogenous protein phosphorylation in chromatin and ribosomes of monkey, mouse, and rat cells transformed by DNA, RNA tumor viruses, and a chemical carcinogen revealed the association of a protein of approximately 90,000 daltons (90K), which is highly phosphorylated in vitro. Peptide map analysis showed that the 90K proteins associated with these organelles of various transformed cells are similar irrespective of the species of cells and transforming agents. This species of protein could not be detected, or was scarcely detected, by phosphorylation in chromatin and ribosomes of untransformed cells and in revertants of transformed cells. These results suggest that the alteration in the pattern of endogenous protein phosphorylation in these organelles is closely related to the transformed state of cells.