Transformation of rodent cells by DNA extracted from transformation-defective adenovirus mutants

Complementation group II host range mutants of adenovirus type 5 which map in early region 1B (E1B, 4.5 to 11.0 map units) have been shown to be defective for the synthesis of the E1B 58,000-dalton (58K) antigen in infections of HeLa or KB cells (Lassam et al., Cell 18:781-791, 1979) and unable to transform cultured rodent cells (Graham et al., Virology 86:10-21, 1978). In this report we show that DNA extracted from group II mutants hr6 and hr50 can transform rat cells with the same efficiency as wild-type DNA. Furthermore, group II mutant-transformed hamster cells were shown to contain no detectable E1B 58K tumor antigen but were capable of inducing tumors in newborn hamsters. Hamster cell lines 1019-3 and 1019-C3, transformed by hr50 DNA, produced no detectable quantities of either the E1B 58K or 19K antigen but nonetheless exhibited a fully transformed oncogenic phenotype. Our results show that the E1B 58K antigen is not absolutely required for oncogenic transformation and suggest that even cells lacking the 19K protein can be oncogenic.