Detection and characterization of simian retroviruses homologous to human T-cell leukemia virus type I.
Lymphoid cell lines were established from five different species of monkeys which were positive in antibodies cross-reactive with human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and were shown to contain provirus sequences homologous to HTLV-I. Gene-specific probes of HTLV-I, gag, pol, env, pX, and LTR, hybridized efficiently with monkey DNAs from these cell lines under stringent conditions, indicating that the proviruses are very similar to HTLV-I along with whole viral genomes. However, the preliminary restriction mapping turned out the difference between simian retroviruses and HTLV-I and also among simian retroviruses. These findings suggest a common ancestor of simian and human retroviruses, but exclude the recent interspecies transmission between monkeys and humans.
D000818:Animals; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes