Biochemical studies on the origin of the ATPase of the avian myeloblastosis virus

Abstract

The adenosine triphosphatase activity of the avian myeloblastosis virus obtained from the blood of the virus-infected chicken was compared with that of the host cell myeloblasts. The specific activity of the viral enzyme is unusually higher than that of the myeloblasts. A significant difference in inhibitor sensitivity was observed with quercetin. When the virus was grown in chicken embryonic fibroblasts in culture, the resulting virus showed very little adenosine triphosphatase activity, comparable to that of the fibroblasts and similar sensitivity to inhibitors. Antibody raised against the purified enzyme of avian myeloblastosis virus inhibits the enzyme activity of the myeloblasts while the activity of the fibroblasts enzyme as well as that of fibroblast-grown virus remains unaffected.