Characterization of Y73, an avian sarcoma virus: a unique transforming gene and its product, a phosphopolyprotein with protein kinase activity.

The Y73 strain of avian sarcoma virus recently isolated in Japan is defective in replication and is associated with subgroup A leukosis virus (YAV). The virus caused sarcoma but not acute leukosis when inoculated into chickens. Studies on the viral RNA showed that a 26S RNA, etimated to be 4.8 kilobases long, was Y73 viral RNA carrying a transforming gene. The 26S RNA has sequences in common with the RNA of an avian leukosis virus but no homology with the src gene sequence of avian sarcoma virus (ASV). Thus, Y73 has a unique sarcoma-inducing gene. A phosphorylated polyprotein of 90,000 daltons (p90) was immunoprecipitated from extracts of Y73-transformed chicken embryo cells by a variety of antisera reacting with gag gene products. When a bacteria-bound immunocomplex containing the p90 protein was incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP, the Y73-specific p90 and the IgG heavy chain were phosphorylated by a p90-associated protein kinase. The amino acid phosphorylated in vitro was exclusively tyrosine in both cases, whereas p90 phosphorylated in vivo contained phosphoserine as a major phospho amino acid with traces of phosphotyrosine and phosphothreoine.