Molecular cloning of an endogenous cat retroviral element (ECE 1)--a recombinant between RD-114 and FeLV-related sequences. Brief report.

A lambda L 47.1 clone library was constructed from BamHI digests of cellular cat DNA and was screened with cDNA probes specific for the 3'-terminus of the replication competent RD-114 virus. The first analysis of one clone (lambda-ECE 1) shows that it consists at least of a 3'-LTR and a 5' adjacent env gene. The LTR nucleotide sequences of the RD-114 cDNA clones and ECE 1 are identical within the R region and unrelated to FeLV. Otherwise, the region upstream from the 3'-LTR of ECE 1 shows homology to the transmembrane protein encoding gene of FeLV, but not to RD-114. These results imply that ECE 1 is a recombinant between an RD-114-like 3'-LTR and a FeLV-related env portion.