Antibody Directed to a Synthetic Peptide Encoding the NH2-terminal 16 Amino Acids of the Adenovirus Type 2 E1B-53K Tumor Antigen Recognizes the E1B-20K Tumor Antigen

A peptide, H2N-Glu-Arg-Arg-Asn-Pro-Ser-Glu-Arg-Gly-Val-Pro-Ala-Gly-Phe-Ser-Gly-(Cys )COOH, containing the amino acid sequence at the NH2 terminus of the adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) E1B-coded large T antigen (E1B-53K) has been synthesized. Anti-peptide antibody was generated in rabbits and used to immunoprecipitate Ad T antigens from Ad2 early infected cell extracts. In addition to the expected E1B-53K T antigen, anti-peptide antibody precipitated the Ad2 E1B-20K T antigen that was previously shown to be related to E1B-53K (M. Green, K.H. Brackmann, M.A. Cartas, and T. Matsuo, J. Virol. 42, 30-41, 1982). Anti-peptide prepared against the COOH terminus of the E1B-53K T antigen or against the NH2 terminus of the E1B-19K T antigen did not precipitate the E1B-20K T antigen. These data suggest that the Ad2 E1B-20K T antigen initiates translation at nucleotide 2016 in reading frame 3, as does E1B-53K. The viral mRNA that encodes the E1B-20K T antigen has not been identified.