Three species of polyoma virus tumor antigens share common peptides probably near the amino termini of the proteins.

Detergent extracts of polyoma virus-infected mouse cells contain three major proteins of approximately 100,000--108,000 (100K), 55,000 (55K) and 21,500 (22K) daltons, which react with sera obtained from rats carrying tumors induced by the virus. A comparison of the 35S-methionine-, 3H-leucine- and 3H-proline-labeled tryptic peptides of each of these proteins by cation-exchange chromatography followed by descending paper chromatography has shown that: at least five peptides are shared by all three T-reactive proteins; at least three peptides are shared by the 55K and 22K proteins, but not by the 100K protein; at least three peptides are found only in the 22K protein; at least six peptides are found only in the 55K protein; and at least sixteen peptides are found only in the 100K protein. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the polypeptide chains of the 100K, 55K and 22K dalton tumor antigens of polyoma virus share a common virus-coded amino terminal region. The data also suggest that there is a portion of the polypeptide chains (probably immediately adjacent to the common amino terminal region of the molecules) that is shared by the 55K and 22K proteins, but not by the 100K protein (perhaps because this portion of the genetic information is spliced out of the messenger RNA coding for the 100K protein). The facts that all the peptides common to the 100K and 55K proteins are also found in the 22K protein and are thus assigned to the common amino terminal region of the molecules, and that there are several peptides unique to the 100K protein, as well as several peptides unique to the 55K protein, suggest that the presumed carboxy terminal portion of the polypeptide chain of the 100K protein is considerably, if not entirely, different from that of the 55K protein.