JC virus T protein during productive infection in human fetal brain and kidney cells

We have examined the synthesis of the T protein of the human polyomavirus, JCV, during productive infection in primary cultures of human fetal glial and kidney cells. Immunoprecipitation of protein extracts from virus infected cells revealed that the JCV large T protein from both the prototype Mad and HEK adapted strains migrated as a 94-kDa protein in denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Resolution of the JCV T protein in brain cells could best be achieved following alkylation of the immunoprecipitated proteins prior to gel electrophoresis. The small t protein of either strain of JCV, however, could not be detected. In comparative experiments, the large T protein of the simian polyomavirus, SV40, was also identified as a 94-kDa protein in immortalized human fetal glial and kidney cultures. There were also protein complexes between p53 and SV40 T protein in the human glial and kidney cell lines. No evidence for a similar protein complex could be detected in JC virus infected human fetal brain or kidney cells.