Comparative analysis of the genomes of feline leukemia viruses.

The genomes of several strains of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) were compared by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the large RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides of the 70S RNA. Differences between each strain of FeLV tested were detected by this method. We estimate that the degree of sequence identity between the viruses is: FeLV A (Glasgow-1) to FeLV B (Snyder-Theilen), 52%; FeLV A (Glasgow-1) to FeLV C(Sarma), 66%; FeLV B(Snyder-Theilen) to FeLV C (Sarma), 37%. The fingerprints of two independent isolates of FeLV strains of subgroup A (Glasgow-1 and Rickard) were detectably different. We conclude that the RNase T1 oligonucleotide fingerprint pattern provides a useful tool for identification of FeLV strains.