Genetic structure and function of an early transcript of visna virus.

During the early step of the lytic cycle, visna provirus is first transcribed into two small multispliced mRNAs of 1.6 and 1.2 kilobases which may encode factors regulating the replication of visna virus (R. Vigne, V. Barban, G. Quérat, V. Mazarin, I. Gourdou, and N. Sauze, Virology 161:218-227, 1987). By cDNA cloning and nucleotide sequencing, we determined that the 1.2-kilobase mRNA is 1,174 nucleotides long without the 3'-polyadenylated tail and is composed of four exons, two of which originated from the 5' and 3' ends, respectively, of the env gene region. Two overlapping open reading frames are present in each of these two exons. They were translated in vitro and gave rise to three proteins, two of 19 and 17 kilodaltons, termed VEP1, and one of 16.5 kilodaltons, termed STM. Only the VEP1 proteins were recognized by a hyperimmune anti-visna virus serum of infected sheep. Transient-expression assays performed in eucaryotic cells demonstrated that the cDNA clone described here has a trans-acting effect on transcription of the visna virus genes.