Biochemical and immunological characterization of Suncus murinus mammary tumor virus DNA polymerase

Enzymological properties of the RNA-directed DNA polymerase associated with the Suncus murinus mammary tumor virus (Sm-MTV) was investigated and its antigenic relatedness to other retroviral DNA polymerases was examined. The enzyme exhibited higher activity in the presence of Mg2+ than in the presence of Mn2+ with endogenous RNA as well as with almost all of the synthetic template X primers tested. Mg2+ was also effective with poly(2'-O-methylcytidylate) X oligodeoxyguanylate which was known to be specific for Mn2+. To examine the immunological relatedness of this enzyme with other retroviral DNA polymerases, remaining Sm-MTV DNA polymerase activity was measured after treatment of this enzyme with various antisera prepared against each of the reverse transcriptases of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV), murine mammary tumor virus (MuMTV), simian sarcoma virus-simian sarcoma associated virus (SSV/SSAV), and Rauscher murine leukemia virus (RLV). No inhibition of the Sm-MTV enzyme activity was observed when treated with the latter three antisera with which the DNA polymerase activities of the corresponding retroviruses were fully inhibited. Only the antiserum against MPMV-enzyme, however, was found to slightly inhibit the Sm-MTV enzyme activity. These results indicate that Sm-MTV DNA polymerase has similar enzymological properties to those of MPMV and MuMTV and shares some common antigenic determinant group(s) with MPMV DNA polymerase.