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

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.