Nucleotide sequence analysis of two simian virus 40 mutants with deletions in the region coding for the carboxyl terminus of the T antigen.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of two simian virus 40 early mutants dl1263 and dl1265, which lack a DNA segment around map positions 0.21 and 0.18, respectively (C. Cole, T. Landers, S. Goff, S. MAnteuil-Brutlag, and P. Berg, J. Virol. 24:277--294, 1977), revealed in-phase deletions of 33 nucleotide pairs for dl1263 and 39 nucleotide paris for dl1265. The 33-base-pair deletion in dl1263 does not correspond to an apparent shortening by 6,000 daltons observed for the mutant T antigen. In dl1265 the normal termination signal as well as most of the proline-rich terminal tryptic peptide has been removed, and the carboxyl terminus of the mutant T antigen is a series of three cysteine residues.