Cytolytic T lymphocyte-defined retroviral antigens on normal cells: encoding by the Akv-1 proviral locus.

We previously described the generation and specificity of H-2-restricted cytolytic lymphocytes (CTL) directed against tumors induced by AKR/Gross murine leukemia viruses (MuLV). Such anti-AKR/Gross virus CTL demonstrated type specificity; only tumors induced by endogenous MuLV that expressed the Gross cell-surface antigen were lysed. These CTL and their precursor also recognized normal spleen cells from AKR-H-2b, but not AKR-H-2b, Fv-1b mice, however, suggesting that N-ecotropic, retrovirus-associated antigens were primarily involved. Here, expression of these CTL-defined retroviral antigens by H-2b-positive AKR X C57L recombinant inbred strains was examined by using normal spleen cells as stimulators in the generation of specific anti-AKR/Gross virus CTL. Analysis of the strain distribution pattern of stimulation indicated that a single proviral locus, Akv-1, was primarily, if not entirely, responsible for CTL-defined retroviral antigen expression. The lack of correlation with two other well-defined proviral loci was interesting. Whereas Akv-3 is known to encode a defective virus, Akv-4 has been shown to code for an infectious virus thought to be very similar or identical to that of Akv-1. Although quantitative differences cannot be formally excluded, dose response experiments argued against this possibility and suggested that Akv-1 and Akv-4 may exhibit qualitative differences germane to antiviral CTL recognition.