Genome of Reticuloendotheliosis Virus: Characterization by Use of Cloned Proviral DNA

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Reticuloendotheliosis virus is an avian type C retrovirus that is capable of transforming fibroblasts and hematopoietic cells both in vivo and in vitro. This virus is highly related to the three other members of the reticuloendotheliosis virus group, including spleen necrosis virus, but it is apparently unrelated to the avian leukosis-sarcoma virus family. Previous studies have shown that it consists of a replication-competent helper virus (designated REV-A) and a defective component (designated REV) that is responsible for transformation. In this study we used restriction endonuclease mapping and heteroduplex analysis to characterize the proviral DNAs of REV-A and REV. Both producer and nonproducer transformed chicken spleen cells were used as sources of REV proviral DNA; this genome was mapped in detail, and fragments of it were cloned in λgtWES·λB. The infected canine thymus line Cf2Th(REV-A) was used as a source of REV-A proviral DNA. The restriction maps and heteroduplexes of the REV and REV-A genomes showed that (proceeding from 5′ to 3′) (i) REV contains a large fraction of the REV-A gag gene (assuming a gene order of gag-pol-env and gene sizes similar to those of other type C viruses), for the two genomes are very similar over a distance of 2.1 kilobases beginning at their 5′ termini; (ii) most or all of REV-A pol is deleted in REV; (iii) REV contains a 1.1 kilobase segment derived from the 3′ end of REV-A pol or the 5′ end of env or both; (iv) this env region in REV is followed by a 1.9-kilobase segment which is unrelated to REV-A; and (v) the helper-unrelated segment of REV extends essentially all of the way to the beginning of the 3′ long terminal repeat. Therefore, like avian myeloblastosis virus but unlike the other avian acute leukemia viruses and most mammalian and avian sarcoma viruses, REV appears to be an env gene recombinant. We also found that the REV-specific segment is derived from avian DNA, for a cloned REV fragment was able to hybridize with the DNA from an uninfected chicken. Therefore, like the other acute transforming viruses, REV appears to be the product of recombination between a replication-competent virus and host DNA. Two other defective genomes in virus-producing chicken cells were also cloned and characterized. One was very similar to REV in its presumptive gag and env segments, but instead of a host-derived insertion it contained additional env sequences. The second was similar (but not identical) to the first in its gag and env regions and appeared to contain an additional 1-kilobase inversion of REV-A sequences.

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