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Virus Tumor Antigens: Specific Fingerprints?

Laboratory of Biology of Viruses, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Immunologically new antigens of at least 2 general types have been demonstrated in cells transformed, both in vivo and in vitro, by viruses. In fact, this now appears to be true in all virus-induced tumors. The specificity of these antigens is determined by the inducing virus and is the same in tumors of a variety of histologic types and in different species. These antigens are foreign to the immunologically competent host and are reacted to by either homograft rejection or antibody formation, or both. Certain of these antigens are also produced early in the course of a lytic infection by the tumor viruses and may well represent virus-coded specific enzymes required for replication of certain viral constituents, such as their nucleic acids. There are a number of experimental facts consistent with the interpretation that the existence of these antigens reflects the continuing presence of viral genetic material in the transformed cell even when infectious virus cannot be demonstrated.