title: Preliminary analysis of the polypeptides of the salmon leukemia virus (SLV) and evidence for development of a bimodal viremia following SLV infection.
abstract: A retrovirus, known as salmon leukemia virus (SLV), was purified from farm-reared chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) with plasmacytoid leukemia (PL). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of purified SLV revealed the presence of 9 virus-associated polypeptides with molecular weights from 82 kDa to 15 kDa. Endoglycosidase digestion and alcian blue staining of viral polypeptides separated by SDS-PAGE, and immunoprecipitation experiments using hyperimmune antisera suggest that the non-glycosylated 27 kDa polypeptide may represent a capsid-associated protein and the 82 kDa glycoprotein may represent an envelope-associated protein, which appears to be composed of a 67 kDa protein moiety. Fish injected with PL-positive tissue homgenate developed a bimodal viremia, as indicated by the presence of cell-free, virus-associated reverse transcriptase activity and SLV in serum of fish from 1 to 3 wk post-injection and again from 7 wk on through the rest of the study. If horizontal transmission of SLV and PL occurs in infected chinook salmon, it is most likely to occur after the second viremic period begins.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Malaspina University College, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Folkins
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dawe
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Newbound
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zinkl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D007952:Leukemia, Plasma Cell / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000097:blood; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012474:Salmon; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014766:Viremia / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase