Structural proteins of simian virus 40. I. Histone characteristics of low-molecular-weight polypeptides

The DNA-associated polypeptides of simian virus 40 (SV40), VP4 (mol wt 14,000), VP5 (mol wt 12,000), and VP6 (mol wt 11,000), have several properties characteristic of cell histones. After extraction from purified SV40 with dilute acids, these three polypeptides co-electrophoresed on low pH polyacrylamide gels with monkey-kidney cell histones F3, F2b, and F2a1. No virus polypeptide co-electrophoresed with histone F1. Polypeptides VP4, 5, and 6 lacked tryptophan, and only VP4 contained cysteine, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of virus labeled in vivo with (3H)lysine and either (14C)tryptophan or (35S)cystine. All of the capsid polypeptides VP1, 2, and 3 contained tryptophan whereas only VP1 and 2 contained cysteine. In addition, VP4, 5, and 6 are rich in arginine and lysine when compared with virus labeled with a mixture of amino acids. Analysis of virus grown in cells labeled prior to infection showed that VP4, 5 and 6 were labeled fivefold greater than the major capsid polypeptide, VP1, which indicates that they were partially derived from preexisting cell histones. Based on these data and on previously determined molecular weight estimates, we conclude that VP4, 5, and 6 are histones F3, F2b, and F2a1, respectively, although the possibility that SV40 contains a small amount of F2a2 could not be excluded.