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Amino acid sequence homology between polyoma and SV40 tumour antigens deduced from nucleotide sequences

Nature volume 274, pages 291–293 (1978)Cite this article

Abstract

POLYOMA and SV40 are DNA tumour viruses with very similar structures, genetic organisations and mechanisms of transformation1. The late regions of the genome of both viruses code for three structural proteins of the viral capsid; the early regions code for at least two forms of tumour antigen, one with an approximate molecular weight of 100,000 (large-T antigen) and one with an approximate molecular weight of 20,000 (small-t antigen)2–5. The only region of DNA homology between the two viruses, as detected by nucleic acid hybridisation techniques, is a small segment in the late region at the position of the overlap of the genes for VP2 and VP3 with VP16–7. The nucleotide sequence of the entire SV40 genome has been determined8,9, and the sequence of polyoma is now becoming available. A comparison of the nucleotide sequence near the origins of DNA replication of the two viruses has indicated homologies in nucleotide sequences previously undetected by hybridisation10. We present evidence here for nucleotide homologies in regions of the viral genomes that code for portions of t antigen and the T antigen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093

    THEODORE FRIEDMANN

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093

    RUSSELL F. DOOLITTLE

  3. Tumor Virology Laboratory, The Salk Institute, PO Box 1809, San Diego, California, 92112

    GERNOT WALTER

Authors
  1. THEODORE FRIEDMANN
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  3. GERNOT WALTER
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FRIEDMANN, T., DOOLITTLE, R. & WALTER, G. Amino acid sequence homology between polyoma and SV40 tumour antigens deduced from nucleotide sequences. Nature 274, 291–293 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/274291a0

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