Detection and characterization of the protein encoded by the v-rel oncogene

To identify the protein encoded by v-rel, the oncogene of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV-T), antisera have been raised to three synthetic peptides derived from the translation of our previously published v-rel DNA sequence [R.M. Stephens, N.R. Rice, R.R. Hiebsch, H.R. Bose, Jr., and R.V. Gilden, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 6229-6233 (1983)]. Sera to all three peptides precipitate a 59,000 Da protein from REV-T-transformed chicken lymphoid cells. This protein is not detectable in uninfected chick embryo fibroblasts, and its observed size is in good agreement with the 56,000 Da predicted by the DNA sequence. We conclude that this protein is the v-rel product and designate it p59rel. To search for evidence of post-translational processing of this protein, cells were grown in the presence of glycosylation inhibitors. These resulted in no detectable difference in the size of p59rel. Nor was its size detectably altered during the course of a pulse-chase experiment. Growth of cells in the presence of [32P] orthophosphate, however, revealed that p59rel is a phosphoprotein. It is also closely associated with a protein kinase activity, for precipitation with one of the peptide antisera (but not the other two) resulted in strong kinase activity in the immune complex pellet. During this reaction, p59rel itself becomes phosphorylated. Kinase activity was retained in the immune complex following detergent and high salt washes, leaving open the possibility that p59rel is itself a kinase.