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The protease (PR) encoded by most retroviruses is deeply involved in the lifecycle and infection process of retroviruses by possessing the specificity necessary to correctly cleave the viral polyproteins and host cell proteins. However, as an important representative of avian retroviruses, the enzymatic properties of PR from reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) have not been clearly documented. The recombinant PR, its mutant fused with a His-tag, and its substrate p18-p30 fused with a GST-tag were expressed in the Escherichia coli system as soluble enzymes. The soluble PR and p18-p30 were purified using Ni-NTA His Bind Resin and Glutathione Sepharose 4B, respectively. The enzymatic activity of PR was analyzed using the substrate of p18-p30. The expressed prokaryotic protease has enzyme activity that is dependent on such conditions as temperature, pH, and ions, and its activity can be inhibited by caspase inhibitor and the divalent metal ions Ca(2+) and Ni(2+). In addition, the key role of the residue Thr (amino acids 28) for the enzymatic activity of PR was identified. Furthermore, the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK was confirmed to inhibit the PR enzymatic activity of REV. For the first time, the PR of REV was expressed in the soluble form, and the optimal enzymatic reaction system in vitro was developed and preliminarily used. This study provides essential tools and information for further understanding the infection mechanism of REV and for the development of antiviral drugs treating retroviruses., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The properties of an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, which occurs ubiquitously in the allantoic fluid of uninfected, leukosis-virus-free eggs, are described. It is shown that the enzyme can synthesize faithful transcripts from natural RNA (globin mRNA). With biochemical and immunological methods, the enzyme can be clearly distinguished from the reverse transcriptases of the known chicken RNA tumour viruses and therefore seems to be a member of a so far unknown class of chicken polymerases. Our data show that in the chicken system reverse transcriptase can occur without connection to the replication of RNA tumour viruses and without relationship to the induction of malignancy.

Reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REV) contain an endogenous RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity. The endogenous DNA polymerase activity can be elicited in purified preparations of REV by treatment with nonionic detergents. The enzyme activity has a strong preference for manganous ions. Therefore, appreciable endogenous DNA polymerase activity can be demonstrated only if the reaction mixture contains appropriate concentrations of manganous ions. Enzyme activity can be inhibited by pretreatment with RNase or deletion of one or more deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates from the reaction mixture. In contrast, actinomycin D has little effect in initial DNA synthesis. The results from both velocity and equilibrium centrifugation indicate that the nascent chains of product DNA are associated with 60S viral RNA. The DNA product of the endogenous DNA polymerase reaction is hybridizable to REV RNA, but not to avian leukosis virus RNA.

The properties of an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (an RNA-dependent DNA nucleotidyltransferase), which occurs ubiquitously in the allantoic fluid of uninfected, leukosis-virus-free eggs, are described. It is shown that the enzyme can synthesize faithful transcripts from natural RNA (globin mRNA). By biochemical and immunological methods, the enzyme can be clearly distinguished from the reverse transcriptases of the known chicken RNA tumor viruses and therefore seems to be a member of a so far unknown class of chicken polymerases.

Avian retrovirus pp32, a DNA endonuclease which is structurally related to the avian retrovirus DNA polymerase beta polypeptide, has been demonstrated to be partially phosphorylated in vivo. Unlabeled or [35S]methionine-labeled pp32 from avian sarcoma virus or avian myeloblastosis virus migrated as an electrophoretic doublet on discontinuous sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gels. However, pp32 immunoprecipitated from avian sarcoma virus labeled in vivo with [32P]orthophosphoric acid migrated as a single band, which co-electrophoresed with the slower-moving band of the doublet represented by unlabeled or 35S-labeled pp32. The presence of a slower-migrating phosphorylated band in pp32 suggests that the observed electrophoretic heterogeneity of purified pp32 is due to partial phosphorylation. Tryptic peptide analysis of 32P-labeled avian sarcoma virus beta and pp32 demonstrated that all the three labeled peptides in the beta polypeptide were also present in pp32. However, pp32 had one tryptic peptide which was preferentially labeled in comparison to the comigrating peptide found in beta digests, suggesting that phosphorylation may play a role in the processing of pp32 from beta or in the regulation of its associated DNA endonuclease activity.

Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) contains an endogenously instructed, RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity. Both the endogenous and exogenous DNA polymerase activities exhibited up to 10-fold greater activity at the optimum concentration of manganous ion (0.025 mM for exogenous; 0.25 mM for endogenous) than at any concentration of magnesium ion. Antiserum to the DNA polymerase of an REV group virus (spleen necrosis virus) inhibited both endogenous and exogenous DNA polymerase activity of REV, whereas antiserum to the Rous sarcoma virus (Rous-associated virus-0) [RSV(RAV-0)]DNA polymerase did not. The DNA product of the endogenous reaction is associated with the high-molecular-weight RNA of REV and anneals with REV RNA but not with RNA from Rous sarcoma virus.

125I-labeled DNA polymerases of avian myeloblastosis virus and spleen necrosis virus were used in a radioimmunological characterization of avian retrovirus DNA polymerases. It was shown that avian leukosis virus and reticuloendotheliosis virus DNA polymerases do not cross-react in radioimmunoassays. Within the avian leukosis virus species, species-specific and type-specific antigenic determinants of the DNA polymerase were defined. The previous finding of genus-specific antigenic determinants in avian myeloblastosis virus and Amherst pheasant virus DNA polymerases was confirmed and extended to members of all subgroups of avian leukosis virus. It was shown that there is little immunological variation between the DNA polymerases of the four members of the reticuloendotheliosis virus species. Particles with RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity from the allantoic fluid of normal chicken eggs and from the medium of a goose cell culture did not compete for the antibodies directed against any of the sets of antigenic determinants defined in this study.

The DNA polymerase from Amherst pheasant virus (APV), a member of the pheasant virus species of retroviruses, was compared to the DNA polymerases of avian leukosis viruses (ALV) and a reticuloendotheliosis virus (spleen necrosis virus (SNV)). Immunoglobulin inhibition tests and competition immunoassays showed that APV and ALV DNA polymerases are closely related at their active sites. The determinants common to their active sites are not shared by SNV DNA polymerase. Bu using a species-specific radioimmunoassay, it was shown that both APV and SNV DNA polymerases are grossly different from ALV DNA polymerase. The specificity of the relationship of the active sites of APV and ALV DNA polymerases was confirmed by a heterologous radioimmunoassay. Our data indicate that pheasant viruses are evolutionarily linked to ALV.

Immunoglobulin G directed against the DNA polymerase of Rauscher murine leukemia virus (R-MuLV) could bind to 125I-labeled DNA polymerase of spleen necrosis virus (SNV), a member of the reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) species. Competition radioimmunoassays showed the specificity of this cross-reaction. The antigenic determinants common to SNV and R-MuLV DNA polymerases were shared completely by the DNA polymerases of Gross MuLV, Moloney MuLV, RD 114 virus, REV-T, and duck infectious anemia virus. Baboon endogenous virus and chicken syncytial virus competed partially for antibodies directed against the common antigenic determinants of SNV and R-MuLV DNA polymerases. DNA polymerases of avian leukosis viruses, pheasant viruses, and mammalian type B and D retroviruses and particles with RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity from the allantoic fluid of normal chicken eggs and from the medium of a goose cell culture did not compete for the antibodies directed against the common antigenic determinants of SNV and R-MuLV DNA polymerases. We also present data about a factor in normal mammalian immunoglobulin G that specifically inhibits the DNA polymerases of REV and mammalian type C retrovirus DNA polymerases.

An RNA polymerase activity that synthesizes a U-rich RNA hydrogen bonded to a large viral RNA molecule was found in the cores of virions of avian reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REV). The RNA polymerase activity was separable from the DNA polymerase activity of REV virions. The 5'-terminus of the newly synthesized RNA was A. In addition, a tRNA nucleotidyl transferase activity, which added -CpCpA ends to tRNA, appears to be present in the REV virions.