Structure of the Abelson murine leukemia virus genome and the homologous cellular gene: studies with cloned viral DNA.

Circular double-stranded DNA produced after infection of mouse cells with Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) was isolated and cloned in the phage vector Charon 21A. The resulting clones of the A-MuLV genome show homology to the ends of Moloney MuLV and to a 3.5 kb central region containing sequences unique to Abelson virus. A 2.3 kb restriction fragment containing only A-MuLV-specific sequences was subcloned in the plasmid vector pBR322 and used as a probe for the cellular gene that had been acquired by the virus. DNA from all inbred mouse lines examined contains an identical region of homology spread out over 11 to 20 kb. The cellular gene contains intervening sequences which are lacking in the viral genome. Rat, Chinese hamster, rabbit, chicken and human DNA also show homology to the viral probe.