title: Genome organization and transactivation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2.
abstract: Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the human retrovirus associated with AIDS in West Africa, HIV-2, shows that it is evolutionarily distant from the previously characterized HIV-1. We suggest that these viruses existed long before the current AIDS epidemics. Their biological properties are conserved in spite of limited sequence homology; this may help the determination of the structure-function relationships of the different viral elements.
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D005796:Genes; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D004247:DNA