Use of nondefective adenovirus simian virus 40 hybrids for mapping the simian virus 40 genome

A series of viable recombinants between adenovirus 2 (Ad2) and simian virus 40 (SV40) (nondefective Ad2 SV40 hybrids) has been isolated. The members of this series (designated Ad2⁺ND₁ through Ad2⁺ND₅) differ from one another in the early SV40 specific antigens and the SV40 specific RNA species which they induce in infected cells. They also contain different amounts of SV40 DNA as shown by RNA DNA hybridization techniques. The authors examined the structure of the DNA molecules from these hybrids, using electron microscope heteroduplex mapping techniques. Each hybrid was found to contain a single segment of SV40 DNA of characteristic size covalently inserted at a unique location in the adenovirus 2 DNA molecule. The SV40 segments of the various hybrids formed an overlapping series with a common end point. When the results of the electron microscopic study were combined with data on antigen induction, it was found that a self consistent map could be constructed which related specific regions of the SV40 genome to the induction of specific antigens. The order of these early SV40 antigen inducing regions in the SV40 DNA segments contained in the nondefective hybrids is: U antigen, tumor specific transplantation antigen, and T antigen with the U antigen region being nearest the common end point.