Sequence heterogeneity of murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome virus: the role of endogenous virus.
A defective murine leukemia virus is the causative agent of murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (MAIDS). We have cloned cDNAs from both virus infected and non-infected cells using the PCR methods with primers corresponding to the franking sequence of the unique p12 gag gene. Sequence analysis of these cDNA clones revealed: (i) the presence of endogenous virus related to MAIDS virus in C57BL/6 mice, (ii) B cell lineage specific expression of endogenous virus and (iii) extensive heterogeneity of MAIDS virus recovered from virus infected cells due to the recombination of the related viruses (defective pathogenic virus, ecotropic virus and endogenous virus). These findings suggest that the creation of virus variants in infected cells may play an important role in virus pathogenesis and escape from immune attack during the development of MAIDS.
Gayama
S
S
Department of Pathology and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Vaupel
B A
BA
Kanagawa
O
O
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D009052:Leukemia Virus, Murine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016183:Murine Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D015683:Gene Products, gag; D012333:RNA, Messenger