Polynucleotide sequences common to the genomes of simian virus 40 and the human papovaviruses JC and BK

Abstract

The DNA of the human papovavirus JC (JCV) was examined and compared to the genomes of simian virus 40 (SV40) and human papovavirus BK (BKV). Preparations from a nonplaque purified stock were heterogeneous and the molecular weight of the largest DNA species was calculated to be approximately 90% that of SV40 DNA. Studies of the kinetics of reassociation of radiolabeled JCV DNA in the presence of large excesses of SV40 or BKV DNAs revealed polynucleotide sequence homology of 11% between the genomes of JCV and SV40 and 25% between the genomes of JCV and BKV. Further studies demonstrated that the DNA sequences shared by JCV and SV40 are a subset of the sequences shared by JCV and BKV, and that these DNA sequences are common to the genomes of these three primate papovaviruses.