Studies on the polyoma tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA): selection and characterization of TSTA-negative segregants from somatic hybrids

Modifications of an immunodominant peptide antigen induce different anti-polyoma tumor responses in two separate mouse strains

An immunodominant polyoma peptide antigen MT162-176 was modified with regard to amino acid (aa) composition in an attempt to analyze its immunogenicity in detail. Twelve modifications of peptide MT162-176, 3 overlapping peptides and 9 peptides with point mutations, were synthesized and used for immunizations of (A.CA x C57BL/6)F1 and CBA mice against the syngeneic polyoma tumors SECA and SEBA. All 3 overlapping peptides MT162-176, MT165-174 and MT170-176, were immunogenic in (A.CA x C57BL/6)F1 mice against SECA, indicating that possibly more than one immunogenic epitope may be recognized within the MT162-176 sequence. In CBA mice, the 2 peptides covering the C-terminal half were immunogenic against SEBA, while the N-terminal peptide was possibly somewhat less efficient. The peptides with aa point mutations induced different anti-tumor responses in the 2 mouse strains. In CBA mice, only one mutant, MT162-176.28, was immunogenic. For (A.CA x C57BI)F1 3 different mutants, MT162-176.29, MT162-176.35 and MT162-176.36 were immunogenic against SECA, while the remaining 6 had lost their activity. These results suggest that a different emphasis of recognition of peptide MT162-176 exists with regard to the 2 mouse strains examined. Furthermore, different immunization procedures were tested. We found that repeated immunizations with peptide without Freund's adjuvant was the most efficient.

Immunization against polyoma tumors with synthetic peptides derived from the sequences of middle-and large-T antigens

We have used 9 synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences of polyoma virus small-T, middle-T and large-T antigens as immunogens in order to map antigenic epitopes that can induce polyoma-tumor-specific immunity in different mouse strains. We found that immunization of mice with synthetic peptides derived from amino acid (aa) sequences common to all 3 T-antigens (aa 1-19), or sequences common to only middle-T and small-T (aa 162-176), as well as synthetic peptides unique for middle-T (aa 269-282 and 371-381), or unique for large-T (aa 108-124, 316-333 and 436-449) can induce immunity against polyoma tumors. The synthetic peptides can be divided into 3 types with regard to immunogenicity; (i) peptides that immunize in more than one mouse strain and may represent immunodominant sites, (ii) peptides that may be immunogenic in only one strain, and thus strain-specific, and finally (iii) peptides that do not immunize in the strains tested so far.

A single peptide derived from the sequence common to polyoma small and middle T-antigen induces immunity against polyoma tumors

Polyoma virus, an oncogenic virus, fails to induce tumors in immunocompetent rodents due to T cell-dependent mechanisms. The target recognized by the immune system has been functionally defined as polyoma tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) and has been postulated to be related to the virus three early proteins small T (ST), middle T (MT), and large T (LT) antigens. We show here that immunization with a synthetic peptide corresponding to amino acids 162-176 of polyoma MT and ST was able to decrease tumor progression of polyoma tumors, but not of nonpolyoma tumors. This indicated that these amino acids constitute an epitope of the polyoma tumor-specific transplantation antigen.

Polyoma T-antigen-derived synthetic peptides induce polyoma-virus-specific macrophage migration inhibition

Synthetic peptides, 2 derived from the sequence common to small, middle and large T-antigen, and I derived from the sequence unique for middle T, activated lymphocytes from polyoma-virus-immunized, but not from control mice, to release the lymphokine migration inhibitory factor (MIF). In contrast, purified, bacterially grown, full-length small T-antigen and a middle T-antigen mutant Py 1387T MT (lacking 37 C-terminal amino acids) did not induce lymphokine release, although they were capable of inducing an anti-polyoma TSTA response in vivo.

A polyomavirus tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) epitope is situated within the N-terminal amino acid sequence common to middle and small T-antigens

An MT cDNA-transformed rat cell line (2.8), that contains only the polyoma middle T-antigen and expresses polyoma TSTA, can be rejected in rats immunized with 1837 cells that carry a host range (A185 hr-t), mutant which expresses a full-length large T-antigen, and nonfunctional N-terminal fragments of small and middle T. This shows that at least one polyoma TSTA epitope is situated in the 113 amino acid N-terminal region, which is common to middle and small T-antigens.

Immunization against the polyoma tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) with polyoma T-antigens

The relationship between the polyoma virus tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) and 2 of the virus proteins coded from the early region of polyomavirus was investigated. Mice were immunized with small T antigen and a truncated mutant of middle T antigen, both purified from genetically engineered Escherichia coli. The 2 proteins induced protective immunity against polyomavirus-induced tumors, but not against non-polyoma tumors, indicating that one or more of the polyoma T antigens are directly involved in a TSTA function.