Polypeptide and RNA composition of the reticuloendotheliosis viruses.

The RNA and polypeptide composition of chick syncytial virus (CSV) and duck infectious anemia virus (DIAV) was investigated and compared to that of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) strain T, the prototype of the newly recognized REV group of viruses. CSV and DIAV contain genomic RNA species which cosediment with those of REV in sucrose gradients. Five or six polypeptides, two of which are glycoproteins, were consistently found in CSV and DIAV preparations. The major nonglycosylated polypeptides and glycoproteins of CSV and DIAV comigrated with the corresponding polypeptides of REV strain T. Since the genomic RNA species and the glycoproteins of avian tumor viruses fail to comigrate, this suggests that the REV complex is a more homogeneous group.