Complete amino acid sequence of the basic nucleic acid binding protein of feline leukemia virus

The complete amino acid sequence of the nucleic acid binding protein p10 of the Rickard strain of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) has been determined. Fragments obtained by enzymatic digestion were purified by reverse-phase liquid chromatography and subjected to semiautomated Edman degradation. FeLV p10 is a basic polypeptide composed of 57 amino acids with Mr = 6604. The structure of p10 is compared to the structures of other retroviral nucleic acid binding proteins, and an analysis of a highly conserved region, the putative binding domain, is presented.