Protein kinase activities associated with distinct antigenic forms of polyoma virus middle T-antigen.

The tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity previously described in T-antigens of polyoma virus immunoprecipitated with anti-tumour sera has been investigated using monoclonal antibodies. This activity is associated with middle T-antigen but it can be separated by selective antibody precipitation from the majority of this protein. The difference between active and inactive forms can be accounted for by an antigenic difference at the N terminus of middle T-antigen molecules. Moreover, the two different mol. wt. forms of middle T-antigen that can act as phosphoacceptors have been separated by antibody precipitation and therefore shown to be immunologically distinct. The binding position of the antibody used for immunoprecipitation has been observed to have a quantitative influence on the in vitro protein kinase reaction, in one case appearing to stimulate the activity. The detection of the in vitro protein kinase activity in immunoprecipitates obtained with several different monoclonal antibodies directed against the middle T-antigen indicates that the activity is a property tightly associated with this polyoma virus-coded protein.