Moloney Virus-Induced Cell Surface Antigens and Histocompatibility Antigens Are Located on Distinct Molecules

The Moloney lymphoma, LSTRA, is widely used as a target cell for cell-mediated lysis studies. This report further characterizes the antigenic structures that may be important in the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-target cell recognition. Anti-H-2 sera have been absorbed to remove contaminating antiviral activity. The results presented demonstrate that: a) no linkage between H-2 and viral antigens was detected with 1-dimensional (SDS-PAGE) or 2-dimensional (IEF followed by SDS-PAGE) gel electrophoresis; b) no molecule showing the antigenic properties of both viral and histocompatibility antigens was detected; c) H2-Dd and H2-Kd molecules on the LSTRA lymphoma appeared antigenically similar to the parental BALB/c cells based on inhibition of cytotoxicity experiments; d) with cell extracts made in the presence of iodoacetamide, no disulfide linkages could be demonstrated between viral and histocompatibility antigens; e) the Moloney viral antigen gp70 was found in large amounts on the cell surface of LSTRA cells; f) the p30 precursor (gag) was not detectable on the cell surface, although it was abundant in the cell cytoplasm. Thus, these studies indicate that the LSTRA target cell appears to have H-2 and viral antigens present on separate molecules, which are dissociated during NP40 detergent extraction. No evidence was found of an “altered self” type molecule, in which either H-2 or viral antigens had been chemically altered as a consequence of viral transformation.