Quantitative nucleotide sequence relationships of mammalian RNA tumor viruses

A molecular hybridization technique has been used to quantitatively measure the nucleotide sequence relationships of selected mammalian RNA tumor viruses. Reciprocal cross-hybridization tests were done in which a given radioactively labeled, viral genomic RNA species was annealed with an excess of unlabeled, complementary DNA product synthesized in endogenously instructed reverse transcriptase reactions. Hybrid formation was measured with pancreatic RNase A. Three representative mammalian RNA tumor virus groups were examined: murine viruses, simian viruses, and feline viruses. The results of reciprocal cross-hybridization testing have revealed that the murine viruses consist of four distinctly related subgroups: (i) the Friend leukemia virus/Rauscher leukemia virus subgroup, (ii) the Gross leukemia virus subgroup, (iii) the Moloney sarcoma virus subgroup, and (iv) the Kirsten sarcoma virus subgroup. Simian sarcoma virus, the only simian virus examined, appeared to share limited interspecies sequence relationships with members of the other virus groups and in particular with Kirsten sarcoma virus. Of the two members of the feline virus group tested, Rickard feline sarcoma virus and RD-114, each was placed in a separate, unrelated subgroup. Rickard feline sarcoma virus exhibited limited sequence relatedness with members of the other virus groups, whereas RD-114 exhibited none.