| abstract |
A first glycoprotein having a molecular weight of approximately 61,000-68,000 daltons in the MJ, C5-MJ, C91 PL or HUT-102 cell lines, of which 46,000 to 48,000 is the unglycosylated moiety, is obtained from cells infected with human T cell leukemia virus. A second glycoprotein having a molecular weight of approximately 45,000-52,000 daltons is also obtained from such cells and is in large part identical to the NH2-terminal end of the first glycoprotein. The presence, in a biological specimen, of antibody to the antigenic determinant of either of these proteins is indicative of the presence of cells infected by human T cell leukemia virus. An assay for the antibody is a useful diagnostic procedure for determining such infection in biological specimens. |