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Ly- and ecotropic MuLV antigens are separate entities
Murine alloantisera to lymphocyte (Ly) alloantigens also contain antibodies to murine leukaemia viruses (MuLV) in high titre. A number of such sera were extensively absorbed with ecotropic AKR murine leukaemia virus to remove contaminating anti-MuLV antibodies. The virus-absorbed and unabsorbed antisera were then examined by the radioimmune precipitation (RIP) assay for anti-MuLV antibodies, and for anti-Ly antibodies by cytotoxicity assays against specific target cells. The results presented here demonstrate that whilst virus absorption markedly reduced the anti-viral titres of the alloantisera they had no effect on the anti-Ly titres of any of them. This indicates that none of the Ly antigens which was examined cross reacts with the antigens of ecotropic AKR-MuLV and further suggests that Ly antigens are not encoded by the genes of endogenous ecotropic MuLVs. It was also demonstrated that the majority of the contaminating anti-MuLV antibodies present in anti-Ly-6.2 antiserum recognize viral envelope antigens rather than the internal structural proteins of the virus.
Murine alloantisera to lymphocyte (Ly) alloantigens also contain antibodies to murine leukaemia viruses (MuLV) in high titre. A number of such sera were extensively absorbed with ecotropic AKR murine leukaemia virus to remove contaminating anti-MuLV antibodies. The virus-absorbed and unabsorbed antisera were then examined by the radioimmune precipitation (RIP) assay for anti-MuLV antibodies, and for anti-Ly antibodies by cytotoxicity assays against specific target cells. The results presented here demonstrate that whilst virus absorption markedly reduced the anti-viral titres of the alloantisera they had no effect on the anti-Ly titres of any of them. This indicates that none of the Ly antigens which was examined cross reacts with the antigens of ecotropic AKR-MuLV and further suggests that Ly antigens are not encoded by the genes of endogenous ecotropic MuLVs. It was also demonstrated that the majority of the contaminating anti-MuLV antibodies present in anti-Ly-6.2 antiserum recognize viral envelope antigens rather than the internal structural proteins of the virus.