Nucleotide sequence of the simian sarcoma virus genome: demonstration that its acquired cellular sequences encode the...

The complete nucleotide sequence of the proviral genome of simian sarcoma virus (SSV), an acute transforming retrovirus of primate origin, has been determined. Like other transforming viruses, SSV contains sequences derived from its helper virus, simian sarcoma-associated virus (SSAV), and a cell-derived (v-sis) insertion sequence. By comparison with the sequence of Moloney murine leukemia virus, it was possible to precisely localize and define sequences contributed by SSAV during the generation of SSV. Comparative sequence analysis of SSV and SSAV showed that SSAV provides regulatory sequences for initiation and termination of transcription of the SSV transforming gene. Moreover, coding sequences for the putative protein product of this gene appear to initiate from the amino terminus of the SSAV env gene. Antibodies to synthetic peptides derived from the carboxy and amino termini of the putative protein predicted by the open reading frame identified within v-sis specifically detect a Mr 28,000 protein, p28sis, in SSV-transformed cells. These and other findings confirm the predicted amino acid sequence of this protein and localize it to the coding region of the SSV transforming gene.