Nucleotide sequence of the genome of a murine sarcoma virus

Abstract

The complete nucleotide sequence of a molecularly cloned, biologically infectious mouse sarcoma viral DNA has been determined. It is 5,833 nucleotides in length. It contains two long terminal repeats, the coding capacity for the entire gag gene, portions of the pol gene and the entire transforming gene. Synthesis of the 538 amino acid-long gag gene-encoded polyprotein Pr62 gag initiates 596 nucleotides downstream from the 5′-cap nucleotide. The cleavage of gag polyprotein to mature core proteins, NH 2-p15-p12-p30-p10-COOH, does not involve the loss of any amino acids. The complete nucleotide sequence of the cellular homolog (c- mos Mo) of viral transforming gene v- mos Mo has been determined. There are 25 single-base changes in an uninterrupted sequence of 1,157 nucleotides. Of these, 21 changes are in the coding region and they alter only 11 amino acids with respect to v- mos Mo gene product. The homologous and nonhomologous regions between mouse sarcoma viral DNA and its progenitor, murine leukemia viral DNA, have been identified. Most deletions appear to have occurred by homologous recombination. A sequence GACC or its inverse GGTC is present in the vicinity of all substitutions and deletions. The codon usage of the gag gene is quite different from that of the c- mos Mo gene.