Isolation and purification of a non-A, non-B hepatitis-associated microtubular aggregates protein.

Blood-borne type non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis-associated microtubular aggregates protein was isolated and partially sequenced. The microtubular aggregates were isolated from the hepatocytes of NANB-infected chimpanzees and were found to have a buoyant density in sucrose solution of 1.21 to 1.23 g/ml. A single protein, recognized by our anti-microtubular aggregates monoclonal antibodies, was found to have an Mr of 44,000 (p44). This p44 protein was not found in uninfected chimpanzees. We determined a partial amino acid sequence for p44, and showed that it has no homology to any known proteins.