title: Molecular analysis of a novel simian virus 40 (SV40) type in rhesus macaques and evidence for double infections with the classical SV40 type.
abstract: The incidence of simian virus 40 (SV40) infections in rhesus macaques infected with simian-human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIV) and in uninfected animals was determined using PCR. Rates varied from 5% in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of uninfected monkeys to 19.6% in SHIV-infected macaques. Much higher detection rates, up to 75%, were found in lymph nodes and spleen samples of SHIV-infected animals. Sequence analysis of PCR amplicons revealed that they form two genetic clusters, one containing the majority of known SV40 strains and the other formed by variants with 7% genetic difference. Based on this difference, we propose two SV40 types: "type 1" or "classical type" for the majority of SV40 strains and "type 2" for the novel SV40 variants. The genome of one variant, SV40-Ri257, was completely sequenced and analyzed. The agnogene of SV40-Ri257 extends into the VP2 open reading frame and encodes a typical agnoprotein fused to a C-terminal hydrophobic region. The transcriptional control region (TCR) of SV40-Ri257 is the least conserved region compared to type 1 viruses. Particularly, the 3' end of the TCR, containing the early promoter and enhancer region, exhibits considerable variation. Further analysis of SHIV-infected macaques with type-specific PCRs revealed that the TCR of type 1 was completely conserved, whereas this region in type 2 varied considerably within the early enhancer region. We provide evidence here for the existence of a novel SV40 type in rhesus macaques and show that double infections with both types frequently occur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Lange Kleiweg 139, 2288 GJ Rijswijk, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fagrouch
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karremans
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deuzing
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Gessel
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niphuis
authors.forename: Willy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bogers
authors.forename: Ernst J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Verschoor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015994:Incidence; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000821:virology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D018419:Primate Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013154:Spleen / Q000821:virology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral