Humans have antibodies capable of recognizing oncoviral glycoproteins: demonstration that these antibodies are formed in response to cellular modification of glycoproteins rather than as consequence of exposure to virus.

Abstract

There is controversy concerning the presence in humans of antibodies directed against the envelope glycoproteins of known oncoviruses. Antibodies that are capable of precipitating a wide variety of oncoviral glycoproteins were demonstrated under certain assay conditions. Substances as diverse as normal components of serum, extracts of bacteria and even nonprotein molecules, such as glycogen, shared the oncoviral glycoprotein determinants recognized by normal human sera. Immunoprecipitation of a given viral glycoprotein by human sera was entirely dependent upon the cell in which the virus was grown. Human sera specifically did not recognize glycoproteins purified from oncoviruses grown in human or higher primate cells. The antibodies were directed against cellular rather than the virus-coded antigenic determinants. This immune response, thus, was not elicited as a consequence of oncovirus exposure.