title: Avian reticuloendotheliosis virus: characterization of genome structure by heteroduplex mapping.
abstract: The genome structure of defective, oncogenic avian reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) was studied by heteroduplex mapping between the full-length complementary DNA of the helper virus REV-T1 and the 30S REV RNA. The REV genome (5.5 kilobases) had a deletion of 3.69 kilobases in the gag-pol region, confirming the genetic defectiveness of REV. In addition, REV lacked the sequences corresponding to the env gene but contained, instead, a contiguous stretch (1.6 to 1.9 kilobases) of the specific sequences presumably related to viral oncogenicity. Unlike those of other avian acute leukemia viruses, the transformation-specific sequences of REV were not contiguous with the gag-pol deletion. Thus, REV has a genome structure similar to that of a defective mink cell focus-inducing virus or a defective murine sarcoma virus. An additional class of heteroduplex molecules containing the gag-pol deletion and two other smaller deletion loops was observed. These molecules probably represented recombinants between the oncogenic REV and its helper virus.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006378:Helper Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D001356:Reticuloendotheliosis virus / Q000235:genetics*; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D012367:RNA, Viral