Reticuloendotheliosis virus integration in the fowl poxvirus genome: not a recent event.
Integration of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) into the genome of fowl poxvirus (FPV) has been reported recently. With a view to determine whether this event had occurred in the past, we screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of REV provirus in the DNAs of nine avian poxviruses, some of which had been lyophilized 50 yr ago. For REV, 5' long terminal repeat (LTR) and REV envelope sequences were amplified, whereas for FPV, the major envelope antigen gene and the region flanking REV sequences were amplified. In six of seven FPV strains examined, the specific PCR amplicons were obtained for both REV provirus and FPV sequences. One isolate in which presence of REV 5' LTR and envelope was not detected by PCR, a LTR remnant was detected by Southern hybridization. Interestingly, no REV sequence was detected in either canary poxvirus or pigeon poxvirus genome. These observations indicate that REV integration in the FPV genome is not a recent phenomenon but probably occurred prior to 1949.
Kim
T J
TJ
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana 61802, USA.
Tripathy
D N
DN
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics; D005587:Fowlpox virus / Q000235:genetics*; D005784:Gene Amplification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D017986:Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses, Avian / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D016662:Virus Integration / Q000235:genetics*
D004279:DNA, Viral