LARGE T-ANTIGEN CODING SEQUENCES OF 2 DNA TUMOR-VIRUSES, BK AND SV40,AND NONRANDOM CHROMOSOME CHANGES IN 2 GLIOBLASTOMA CELL-LINES

The T antigen (TAg) coding sequences of two DNA tumor viruses, BKV and SV40, were detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification followed by Southern-blot hybridization in two human glioblastoma mult iforme derived cell lines. RT-PCR analysis indicated that these two TA g coding sequences were expressed in both tumor cell lines carrying th e viral early region DNAs. Moreover, analytical polyacrylamide gel ele ctrophoresis (PAGE) and DNA sequence analyses showed that the amplifie d PCR products are indistinguishable from the TAg coding sequences of BKV and SV40 wildtype strains. Cytogenetic study performed in the two cell lines showed unbalanced changes, mainly gains of chromosomes 3p, 5, 6, 7, and 19 and losses of chromosomes 3, 3q, 16, 9p22->pter, 18, a nd 20. Excess of chromosomes 6 and 7 are common to the two cell lines. The putative role of the TAg of the two DNA tumor viruses in transfor mation and karyotype changes is discussed.