Presence of murine leukemia virus envelope proteins gp70 and p15(E) in a common polyprotein of infected cells

Abstract

The murine leukemia virus envelope proteins, p15(E) and gp70, exhibit a mode of processing distinct from that of virion core proteins according to 3 criteria. The incorporation of p15(E) and gp70 into virions is more sensitive to the metabolic analog 2-deoxy-D-glucose than the incorporation of core proteins. The kinetics with which the newly synthesized envelope proteins appear in the released virions id delayed relative to the appearance of core proteins. Immunoprecipitation of large polypeptides from [WN1802N virus or Rauscher leukemia virus] infected [mouse embryo IIIbA] cells reveals the presence of gp70 and p15(E) in a common precursor distinct from the core polyprotein.