A joint produce of the genes gag and pol of avian sarcoma virus: a possible precursor of reverse transcriptase.

A virus-specific protein of approximately 180,000 daltons has been identified in cells transformed by avian sarcoma virus. The protein, designated P180, includes immunological determinants of both viral core proteins and reverse transcriptase. Its tryptic peptides represent essentially the sum of those of the precursor of the core proteins (Pr76gag) and reverse transcriptase. Thus P180 must arise from the uninterrupted translation of gag and pol. The kinetics of its formation and decay suggest that P180 is the precursor of reverse transcriptase.