Functional analysis of human foamy virus accessory reading frames.
Foamy viruses belong to the retroviruses which possess a complex genome structure. The human foamy virus (HFV) isolate bears three open reading frames (the so-called bel genes) in the 3' region of the genome which have been reported to give rise to possibly six different proteins via alternative splicing (W. Muranyi and R. M. Flügel, J. Virol. 65:727-735, 1991). In order to analyze the requirements of these proteins for HFV replication in vitro, we constructed a set of single and combinatory bel gene mutants of an infectious molecular clone of HFV. The mutant which lacked the transacting activator, bel-1, was found to be replication incompetent. All other mutants replicated equally well and gave rise to comparable titers of infectious cell-free virus. When HFV proviruses were put under the control of a heterologous promoter (simian virus 40), none of the accessory gene products was found to be required for expression of structural (gag) proteins. There was no evidence for a posttranscriptional regulatory protein that is present in other complex retroviruses.
Institut für Virologie und Immunbiologie der Universität, Würzburg, Germany.
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G
Baunach
B
B
Maurer
H
H
Hahn
M
M
Kranz
A
A
Rethwilm
D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005814:Genes, Viral; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics; D016092:Spumavirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C074061:bel1 protein, Human foamy virus