Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

A Convenient and General Expression Platform for the Production of Secreted Proteins from Human Cells
Published on: July 31, 2012
A 53-kilodalton protein common to chemically and virally transformed cells shows extensive sequence similarities
Abstract:
A heat-stable DNA-binding protein with subunits of about 53 kilodaltons (kDal) was purified from two virally transformed human cell lines (Epstein-Barr virus-positive Raji and Namalwa) and two mouse tumor cell lines (methylcholanthrene-induced Meth A sarcoma and TA3 mammary carcinoma). All four 53kDal proteins showed closely related total amino acid compositions, similar peptide maps, and identical NH2-terminal amino acid sequences for 20 residues. These 53-kDal proteins are therefore evolutionarily highly conserved, independent of whether they originate from virally or chemically transformed cells. The NH2-terminal sequence and the protein chain as a whole are not hydrophobic; however, some unexpected residue distributions were observed. Comparisons with other proteins reveal no clear sequence similarity with known tumor antigen structures, homologous immunoglobulins, or some other proteins of known sequence. Epstein-Barr virus-determined nuclear antigen also appears to have a different NH2-terminal sequence. Thus, the results show that the 53-kDal proteins represent a unique protein type with little species variation; this finding suggests that these proteins must perform an important common function in different transformation systems.
Related Concept Videos
Viral Structure
Viral Recombination
Viral Mutations
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order to...
Retroviruses
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

