title: Sequence of simian immunodeficiency virus and its relationship to the human immunodeficiency viruses.
abstract: The characterization of HIV-1 (HTLV-III/LAV), the human retrovirus associated with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) has led to the identification of a group of related human and simian retroviruses which also infect CD4-bearing T lymphocytes. Simian T-lymphotropic virus type III (simian immodeficiency virus) from macaques (STLV-IIIMAC) induces symptoms similar to those of AIDS in infected macaques, but isolates from African green monkeys (STLV-IIIAGM) and mangabeys (STLV-IIMM) appear to be non-pathogenic in these animals. A human virus immunologically related to STLV-IIIAGM (HTLV-IV), reported to have been isolated from healthy humans, has been shown to be almost identical to STLV-IIIAGM, which has called into question the independent origin of these viruses. Here we report the complete DNA sequence of STLV-IIIAGM and analyse its relationship with the genomes of the HTLV-IIIB strain of HIV-1, HIV-2ROD (previously called LAV-2) and several ungulate lentiretroviruses. STLV-IIIAGM and HIV-2 are closely related, and more distantly related to HIV-1.
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000662:veterinary*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002520:Cercopithecidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D002521:Cercopithecus / Q000382:microbiology*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000382:microbiology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D005796:Genes; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics*; D008251:Macaca; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins