Biochemical and immunological characterization of a reverse transcriptase from human melanoma tissue

An RNA-direct DNA polymerase was purified from human melanoma tissue by successive column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose (DE-23 and DE-52) and phosphocellulose. The purified reverse transcriptase has a mol. wt. of 68,000, a pH optimum of 8.0, a Mn2+ optimum of 0.6 mM, and a KCl optimum of 60 mM. The purified enzyme transcribes (rA)n - (dT)12, (rC)n - (dG)18, (Ome-rC)n - (dG)18 and a 70s RNA from Rauscher leukemia virus (RLV), but failed to transcribe (dA)n - (dT)12. This enzyme has no terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity. Serological studies have shown that the reverse transcriptase from human melanoma tissue is antigenically not related to DNA polymerases from Simian sarcoma virus (SiSV), Avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV), RLV, and human spleen of a patient with myelofibrosis. The purified enzyme showed a close antigenic resemblance to DNA polymerases from baboon endogenous virus (BEV) and rhabdomyosarcoma virus (RD-114), the endogenous virus of the cat.