Characterization of a new reverse transcriptase of possibly cellular origin in the chicken system.

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.