Lack of Relationship between Virus-Specific Surface and Transplantation Antigens in Hamster Cells Transformed by Simian Papovavirus SV40¹

The relationship between SV40 surface (S) and transplantation antigens in hamster cells transformed by SV40 was investigated by carrying out transplantation rejection tests in weanling hamsters and by ability of x-irradiated cells to prevent viral tumorigenesis in newborn animals. Only the cells which contained detectable levels of virus-specific tumor (T) and S antigens were found to contain detectable levels of transplantation antigens. The cells which had only the S antigen and cells which synthesized neither S nor T antigens did not contain detectable levels of transplantation antigens. These results strongly suggest that the S antigen detected in vitro by the immunofluorescence test in cells not synthesizing the T antigen is not identical with the SV40 transplantation antigen involved in the rejection or protection phenomena.