Complete amino acid sequence of human T-cell leukemia virus structural protein p15.

The complete amino acid sequence of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) structural protein p15 has been determined. The intact protein and peptides generated by enzymatic digestion and acid cleavage were purified by reversed-phase liquid chromatography and subjected to semi-automated Edman degradation. HTLV p15 is a basic linear polypeptide composed of 85 amino acids with Mr 9458. The primary structure indicates that HTLV p15 is homologous to the nucleic acid binding proteins of other type-C retroviruses and especially related to bovine leukemia virus p12.