title: Avian reticuloendotheliosis viruses: evolutionary linkage with mammalian type C retroviruses.
abstract: Reticuloendotheliosis viruses have been shown to be causative of tumors in a variety of avian species. The major structural protein of these non-genetically transmitted viruses is demonstrated to possess antigenic determinants common to those of all known mammalian type C viruses. These findings establish a mammalian origin for this oncogenic avian retrovirus group. None of the known mammalian type C virus groups demonstrated a closer immunological relationship to avian reticuloendotheliosis viruses. These results suggest that reticuloendotheliosis viruses have been non-genetically transmitted for a long period of evolution or that these viruses may have arisen by relatively recent infection of birds with an as yet undiscovered mammalian type C retrovirus.
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D011925:Rauscher Virus / Q000276:immunology; D001356:Reticuloendotheliosis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D014764:Viral Proteins