The T/t common region of simian virus 40 large T antigen contains a distinct transformation-governing sequence.

Simian virus 40 large T antigen (T) can transform cultured cells, but the mechanisms by which it functions are not entirely understood. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the amino-terminal approximately 130 residues of T may be sufficient to confer the transforming capability. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was used to generate a series of deletion and substitution mutants within the amino-terminal 82 residues of T, the segment which is shared with simian virus 40 small t antigen (t). Results of stability and transformation assays of these mutants strongly suggest that the 1-to-82 region of T contains sequences which govern T transforming activity and affect in vivo stability. Instability and a defect in transforming activity could be separated from one another genetically. Thus, the 1-to-82 region appears to contain a specific region that contributes to the transforming function of the protein. This segment operates by means other than the simple binding of pRb and/or p107.

Identification of a region of simian virus 40 large T antigen required for cell transformation.

A series of replication-competent simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigens with point and deletion mutations in the amino acid sequence between residues 105 and 115 were examined for the ability to immortalize primary cultures of mouse and rat cells. The results show that certain mutants, including one that deletes the entire region, are able to immortalize. However, consistent with previous data, the immortalized cells are not fully transformed, as judged by doubling time, sensitivity to concentrations of serum, and anchorage-independent growth. The region from 106 to 114 has structural features in common with a region involved in transformation by adenovirus E1a protein (J. Figge, T. Webster, T.F. Smith, and E. Paucha, J. Virol. 62:1814-1818, 1988) and influences the binding of the retinoblastoma gene product to large T (J.A. DeCaprio, J.W. Ludlow, J. Figge, J.-Y. Shew, C.-M. Huang, W.-H. Lee, E. Marsilio, E. Paucha, and D.M. Livingston, Cell 54:275-283, 1988). Together, these results imply that the sequence from 106 to 114 forms part of a domain that is essential for transformation of established cells, is dispensable for immortalization, and is not required for SV40 replication. The results also indicate that the ability of SV40 large T to immortalize primary cells is independent of its ability to bind to the retinoblastoma gene product.

Stimulation of the human heat shock protein 70 promoter in vitro by simian virus 40 large T antigen.

Simian virus 40 large tumor (T) antigen stimulates transcription from the SV40 late promoter and some cellular genes. We report here the novel finding that purified T antigen preferentially stimulates transcription from the human heat shock protein 70 promoter in an in vitro transcription system. T antigen is thus capable of stimulating transcription by a process that does not require synthesis of other proteins and that may involve a direct interaction with preexisting cellular factors.

An N-terminal transformation-governing sequence of SV40 large T antigen contributes to the binding of both p110Rb and a second cellular protein, p120.

In addition to Rb and p53, a third cellular protein, p120 in monkey and p118 in human cells, forms a specific complex with SV40 large T antigen (T). p118/120 is not a product of the Rb-gene. As was shown with T/Rb complex formation, the interaction between T and p120 is dependent on the intact nature of a ten residue, transformation-controlling domain in T (residues 105-114). In mouse cells, a readily detectable protein of 115 kd was detected, which, like murine Rb, also forms a stable complex with T. Like p118/120, p115 binding is also dependent on the intact nature of the 105-114 sequence. Given their similar size and T antigen binding sequence dependence, p115 and p118/120 may be products of the same gene in different species. These results suggest that interactions between T and p115/118/120, as well as T and Rb, contribute to the SV40 transforming mechanism.

SV40 large T antigen binds preferentially to an underphosphorylated member of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product family.

Extracts of monkey cells (CV-1P) synthesizing SV40 large T antigen (T) were immunoprecipitated with monoclonal antibodies to T or p110-114Rb, the product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (Rb). While a family of p110-114Rb proteins can be detected in anti-Rb immunoprecipitates, only one member of this family, p110Rb, was found in anti-T precipitates of these extracts. Identical results were obtained with extracts of CV-1P cells which had been previously mixed in vitro with highly purified T. The p110-114Rb family is composed of two sets--p110Rb, an un- or under-phosphorylated species, and pp112-114Rb, a group of overtly phosphorylated proteins. Thus, T bound preferentially to the un- or underphosphorylated member of the family. In addition, T failed to alter the relative abundances of these species. These results suggest a model in which the growth suppression function of Rb is down modulated either by phosphorylation or T antigen binding.

SV40 large tumor antigen forms a specific complex with the product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene.

Monkey cells synthesizing SV40 large T antigen were lysed and the extracts immunoprecipitated with either monoclonal anti-T antibody or monoclonal antibody to p110-114, the product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (Rb). T and p110-114 coprecipitated in each case, implying that the proteins are complexed with each other. Substitution and internal deletion mutants of T that contain structural alterations in a ten residue, transformation-controlling domain failed to complex with p110-114. In contrast, T mutants bearing structural changes outside of this domain bound to p110-114. These results are consistent with a model for transformation by SV40 which, at least in part, involves T/p110-114 complex formation and the perturbation of Rb protein and/or T function.

Prediction of similar transforming regions in simian virus 40 large T, adenovirus E1A, and myc oncoproteins.

Regions containing similar elements of primary and predicted secondary structure were identified in simian virus 40 large T, adenovirus E1A, c-myc and v-myc proteins by a computer program with a set of highly specific, complex pattern descriptors. In all cases these regions were localized in domains of the respective proteins known to be required for transforming activity. We suggest that these apparently structurally similar regions may mediate a common biological function.

Separation of simian virus 40 large-T-antigen-transforming and origin-binding functions from the ability to block differentiation.

Wild-type simian virus 40 large T antigen is very effective at blocking adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-F442A cells as assayed by triglyceride accumulation, induction of glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity, and expression of mRNAs for glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, the adipocyte serine protease adipsin, and the putative lipid-binding protein adipocyte P2. Point mutants defective for either origin-specific DNA binding or transformation blocked differentiation as completely as wild type.

Simian virus 40 origin DNA-binding domain on large T antigen.

Fifty variant forms of simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen bearing point, multiple point, deletion, or termination mutations within a region of the protein thought to be involved in DNA binding were tested for their ability to bind to SV40 origin DNA. A number of the mutant large T species including some with point mutations were unable to bind, whereas many were wild type in this activity. The clustering of the mutations that are defective in origin DNA binding both reported here and by others suggests a DNA-binding domain on large T maps between residues 139 and approximately 220, with a particularly sensitive sequence between amino acids 147 and 166. The results indicate that the domain is involved in binding to both site I and site II on SV40 DNA, but it remains unclear whether it is responsible for binding to cellular DNA. Since all the mutants retain the ability to transform Rat-1 cells, we conclude that the ability of large T to bind to SV40 origin DNA is not a prerequisite for its transforming activity.

The abnormal location of cytoplasmic SV40 large T is not caused by failure to bind to DNA or to p53.

We have examined the large T encoded by an SV40 mutant, d10, which fails to localize to the nucleus. The DNA sequence of the mutant predicts the alteration of Lys 128----Thr within the sequence 127 Lys Lys Lys Arg Lys 131 of large T. The results show that d10 large T is capable of binding to SV40 DNA, to cellular DNA and to the cellular phosphoprotein p53 as well as wild-type large T. These data suggest that the cytoplasmic location of d10 large T is not due to an inability of the protein to be retained within the nucleus, but argues instead that the protein fails to reach the nucleus because it contains a defective nuclear location signal.

The nuclear location signal.

A short sequence of predominantly basic amino acids Pro-Pro-Lys-Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Val from SV40 Large T is responsible for the normal nuclear location of the protein. Alteration of Lys-128 to each of six different residues other than Arg renders Large T cytoplasmic, whereas single amino acid changes in the surrounding region impair but do not prevent nuclear accumulation. When transposed to the amino terminus of cytoplasmic Large T species, or Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase or of chicken muscle pyruvate kinase, the sequence around Lys-128 of Large T is able to direct the recipient protein to the nucleus. This demonstrates that these amino acids can be sufficient for nuclear location and can act as a nuclear location signal. A computer search of over 2500 proteins reveals that some other nuclear proteins (for example, BK virus Large T, SV40 VP2 and adenovirus 72kDa DNA binding protein) contain very similar basic tracts, but so too do some presumed non-nuclear proteins (for example, poliovirus VP3). We suggest that the related sequence acts as the nuclear location signal in the other nuclear proteins but that the sequence does not function in all cases, perhaps because it is not accessible. A similar, but shorter or less basic sequence, was detected in a number of other nuclear proteins, for example, polyoma virus Large T, SV40 VP1 and several histones. However, such sequences were also found in many other proteins. Perhaps the shorter basic sequences can also act as nuclear location signals, but to be functional they need to be exposed (for example, at the amino terminus of the protein as in SV40 VP1) or to be present in multiple copies.

Immunoprecipitation of some forms of simian virus 40 large-T antigen by antibodies to synthetic peptides.

Antibodies were raised against six synthetic peptides corresponding to overlapping amino acid sequences (106 through 145) from a putative DNA binding domain in simian virus 40 (SV40) large-T antigens. All six antipeptide sera immunoprecipitated large-T from crude extracts of SV40-transformed cells, but the efficiency varied widely; in general, antibodies to the longer peptides produced the strongest anti-large-T activity. Antisera were purified by immunoaffinity chromatography on immobilized peptide. The purified antisera recognized only some forms of large-T; full-sized large-T from transformed cells, super-T from SV3T3 C120 cells, and 70,000-dalton T-antigen from Taq-BamHI cells were immunoprecipitated, whereas large-T from productively infected cells reacted irreproducibly, and the full-sized protein, synthesized in vitro or eluted from sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing gels, and the 33,000- and 22,000-dalton truncated large-Ts from Swiss SV3T3 and MES2006 cells, respectively, were not immunoprecipitated. This pattern of reactivity was explained when extracts were fractionated by sucrose density centrifugation, and it was found that only rapidly sedimenting forms of large-T were immunoprecipitated by the antipeptide sera; that is, large-T complexed with nonviral T antigen was detected, whereas lighter forms were not detected. Cascade immunoprecipitations did not support the view that this result was caused by the low affinity of the peptide antisera for large-T, and Western blotting experiments confirmed that the peptide antisera react directly with immobilized, monomeric large-T but not with nonviral T antigen. Immunoprecipitation assays to detect large-T:nonviral T antigen complexes bound specifically to fragments of SV40 DNA showed that under conditions of apparent antibody excess, DNA still bound to the complex.

An antibody to a synthetic peptide that recognises SV40 small-t antigen.

A peptide Tyr.Arg.Asp.Leu.Lys.Leu corresponding to the carboxy-terminal six amino acids of small-t antigen predicted from the DNA sequence of SV40 was synthesised, coupled to bovine serum albumin and to ovalbumin and used to raise antibody in rabbits. The sera obtained immunoprecipitated [125I]peptide. It also recognised SV40 small-t that was synthesised in vitro from SV40 mRNA or extracted from SV40 infected monkey cells. The immunoprecipitation of small-t was inhibited by added peptide. To demonstrate that the determinant was present at the carboxy-terminal end of the molecule, truncated versions of small-t coded for by 0.54-0.59 deletion mutants were tested. dl 890 small-t, which contains an in-phase deletion removing nine amino acids but leaving the carboxy-terminal sequences intact, was recognised by the antipeptide serum. By contrast dl 885 small-t, which has an out-of-phase deletion leading to an altered carboxy terminus coded in an alternative reading frame, was not recognised. The data confirm the location and specificity of the determinant recognised on small-t by the antipeptide serum.

The Xenopus oocyte as a surrogate secretory system. The specificity of protein export.

Combining messenger RNA from one kind of secretory cell with the cytoplasm of another such cell can reveal the nature and specificity of protein export mechanisms. We show that messenger RNAs from secretory cells of chickens, rats, mice, frogs, guinea-pigs, locusts and barley plants, when injected into Xenopus oocytes, direct the synthesis and export of proteins. Chicken ovalbumin, Xenopus albumin, mouse thyroid-stimulating hormone, locust vitellin and guinea-pig milk proteins were identified using specific antibodies, whilst chicken lysozyme and ovomucoid, rat albumin, Xenopus vitellogenin and rat seminal vesicle basic proteins were identified provisionally from their molecular weights. Certain endogenous proteins are sequestered and secreted although most oocyte proteins are not exported. Similarly the major polyoma viral protein and the simian virus 40 and polyoma tumour antigens are retained within the oocyte. Radioactive proteins exported by oocytes programmed with chicken oviduct or Xenopus liver RNA are not re-exported in detectable amounts when injected into fresh oocytes, nor is there secretion of chicken oviduct or guinea-pig mammary gland primary translation products prepared using wheat germ extracts. Thus the export of secretory proteins from oocytes cannot be explained by leakage and may require a cotranslational event. The secretory system of the oocyte is neither cell-type nor species-specific yet is highly selective. We suggest that the oocyte can be used as a general surrogate system for the study of gene expression, from transcription through translation to the final subcellular or extracellular destination of the processed protein.

Characterization of different tumor antigens present in cells transformed by simian virus 40.

In addition to large T and small t antigens, cells transformed by simian virus 40 (SV40) commonly contain other proteins which specifically immunoprecipitate with SV40 anti-T serum and which are not detected in untransformed cells. The additional tumor antigens (T-Ags) fall into two groups: those having a close structural relationship with normal SV40 T-Ags, and those unrelated to large T and small t. The latter are probably nonviral T-Ags (NVT-Ags). The NVT-Ags comprise a family of proteins of molecular weight 50,000-55,000. Fingerprint analysis shows that NVT-Ags have few if any peptides in common with large T or small t, and that they lack the amino terminal tryptic peptide and the peptides unique to small t. NVT-Ags from different species have different fingerprints, but those isolated from different transformants of the same cell line are identical. The size of NVT is unaltered in cells transformed by mutants of SV40 with deletions in the region 0.60-0.55 map units. The mRNA for NVT does not hybridize to SV40 DNA. The other forms of T-Ag isolated from transformed cells fall into three classes: shortened forms of large T (truncated large T); multiple species of T-Ag with molecular weights very similar to, but distinct from, those of normal large T (large T doublets and triplets); and elongated forms of large T (super T). These proteins all contain the normal amino terminus of SV40 T-Ags, and the truncated forms of large T lack peptides from the carboxy terminal half of large T. One species of super T (molecular weight 130,000) contains only those methionine tryptic peptides present in normal large T, although it may contain some peptides in more than one copy.

Extraction and fingerprint analysis of simian virus 40 large and small T-antigens.

A study of simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigens isolated from productively infected CV1 cells using a variety of different extraction procedures showed that under some conditions the highest molecular weight form of T-Ag (large-T) isolated comigrated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with large-T from SV40-transformed H65-90B cells. Other faster-migrating forms of large-T are probably generated during the extraction procedure by a protease which is active at low pH, and such forms are probably experimental artifacts. After extraction under conditions which minimize proteolytic degradation of large-T, a further form of T-antigen was isolated; this has an apparent molecular weight in the range 15,000 to 20,000 and is referred to as small-t. Fingerprint analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled SV40 proteins showed that small-t has 10 to 12 methionine peptides whereas large-T has 15 to 18 methionine peptides. All but two of the methionine tryptic peptides present in small-t are also present in large-T. The fingerprint data also showed that T-antigens have no peptides in common with SV40 VP1. Experiments using reagents which inhibit posttranslational cleavage of encephalomyocarditis virus polyproteins showed that these reagents do not affect the synthesis of small-t and suggest that it is not made by proteolytic cleavage of large-T in vivo. An alternative model, which proposes that large-T and small-t are synthesized independently, is discussed in terms of the fingerprint data and the number of methionine tryptic peptides predicted from the primary sequence of SV40 DNA.

Cell-free synthesis of simian virus 40 T-antigens.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tryptic peptide fingerprint analysis of the proteins made in a cell-free system derived from L-cells and immunoprecipitated with simian virus 40 (SV40) anti-T serum demonstrated that both SV40 large-T and small-T antigens are synthesized in vitro in response to mRNA isolated from productively infected CV1 CELLS. Sucrose density centrifugation in gradients containing 85% formamide showed that the mRNA's for both forms of T-antigen sediment at about 17.5S, with the mRNA for small-t sedimenting marginally, but reproducibly, ahead of the mRNA for large-T. Hybridization experiments using restriction endonuclease fragments Hae III-E and Hind II/III-B showed that all fractions active in the cell-free synthesis of both forms of T-antigen hybridized equally to both fragments. This suggests that the mRNA's for SV40 T-antigens are at least partly virus coded and that the bulk of the early SV40 mRNA contains sequence information from both ends of the early region. The data are consistent with the suggestion that the large-T mRNA is spliced. SV40 complementary RNA (the product of transcription of SV40 DNA using Escherichia coli RNA polymerase) was also translated in the L-cell system and gave two families of polypeptides which specifically immunoprecipitate with anti-T serum. One family (the small-t family) includes a polypeptide indistinguishable by gel electrophoresis and tryptic peptide fingerprinting from small-t isolated from cells. The other family (the 60K family) has a major component with molecular weight approximately 60,000 and includes other polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from approximately 14,000 to about 70,000. The 60K family has petides in common with large-T but not with small-T. Together, the peptides of the small-t and 60K families account for virtually all of the methionine peptides of SV40 large-T. We conclude from these results (i) that small-t is probably entirely, and large-T at least predominantly, virus coded; (ii) that the small-t and 60K families represent the translation products of two different portions of the early region of SV40 DNA (approximately 0.65 to 0.55 map units and 0.54 to 0.17 map units); and (iii) that although most, if not all, of the large-T and small-t peptides are present in the cell-free product, some feature of sequence arrangement of SV40 complementary RNA prevents the translation of full-length large-T and results instead in the synthesis of fragments. We suggest that the absence of a splice in the complementary RNA is responsible for this result.

Large and small tumor antigens from simian virus 40 have identical amino termini mapping at 0.65 map units.

Large and small tumor (T)antigens of simian virus 40 were synthesized in vitro with L-cell extracts that had been treated by the method of Palmiter to prevent amino-terminal acetylation of nascent proteins. Partial amino-terminal amino acid sequences of both forms of T-antigen were determined and found to be identical. Methionine residues were located at positions 1 and 14, a lysine residue at position 3, and leucine residues at positions 5, 11, 13,16, 17, and 19. These amino acid sequence data match perfectly the amino acid sequence predicted from a sequence of nucleotides in the E strand of simian virus 40 DNA which begins near the junction between HindII/III fragments A and C at about 0.65 map units. This strongly suggests that the sequence coding for the amino terminus of both proteins is located at this position. Furthermore, the data are consistent with a model for the synthesis of both forms of T-antigen that predicts that (i) small T-antigen is coded for by a sequence of nucleotides from the 5' end of the early region and (ii) large T-antigen is coded for by nucleotide sequences from two noncontiguous regions of simian virus 40 DNA.