USE OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO DEFINE THE DIVERSITY OF MAMMARY-TUMOR VIRAL GENE-PRODUCTS IN VIRIONS AND MAMMARY-TUMORS OF THE GENUS MUS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 41  (4) , 1451-1459
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies were generated against disrupted mammary tumor viruses isolated from M. musculus, M. cervicolar and M. cookii. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the MW 36,000 external glycoproteins of these viruses demonstrate the presence of multiple epitopes, i.e., distinct antigenic determinants, within these glycoproteins. These epitopes represent type, group and interspecies determinants. Monoclonal antibodies were used to define multiple epitopes on the MW 28,000 major internal polypeptides of murine mammary tumor viruses will exhibit type- and group-specific determinants. The monoclonal antibodies to the MW 36,000 glycoprotein and the MW 28,000 polypeptide were used to distinguish all 6 mammary tumor virus isolates of M. musculus from each other, including endogenous and exogenous viruses from the same strain, and a new virus isolate from BALB/c mice. With the use of the immunoperoxidase technique, the monoclonal antibodies generated were used to demonstrate a heterogeneity of expression of mammary tumor virus gene products in primary mammary tumors of 3 Mus spp. A given antigenic determinant may be expressed differentially in mammary tumors of 2 different Mus spp., among mammary tumors of the same Mus spp., and, at times, in different areas of the same mammary tumor.