title: Identification and characterization of an exogenous retrovirus from atlantic salmon swim bladder sarcomas.
abstract: A novel piscine retrovirus has been identified in association with an outbreak of leiomyosarcoma in the swim bladders of Atlantic salmon. The complete nucleotide sequence of the Atlantic salmon swim bladder sarcoma virus (SSSV) provirus is 10.9 kb in length and shares a structure and transcriptional profile similar to those of murine leukemia virus-like simple retroviruses. SSSV appears unique to simple retroviruses by not harboring sequences in the Atlantic salmon genome. Additionally, SSSV differs from other retroviruses in potentially utilizing a methionine tRNA primer binding site. SSSV-associated tumors contain high proviral copy numbers (greater than 30 per cell) and a polyclonal integration pattern. Phylogenetic analysis based on reverse transcriptase places SSSV with zebrafish endogenous retrovirus (ZFERV) between the Gammaretrovirus and Epsilonretrovirus genera. Large regions of continuous homology between SSSV and ZFERV Gag, Pol, and Env suggest that these viruses represent a new group of related piscine retroviruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, C4137 VMC, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Quackenbush
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: Rufina N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Bowser
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Casey
mesh_terms: D000400:Air Sacs / Q000821:virology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000821:virology; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology