The study demonstrates that the replication-defective acute leukemia virus MC-29 is capable of recombination, donating sequences to its helper virus RAV-O.
MC-29 recombination competence supports defective retrovirus genetics; leaves open translation to mammalian leukemia models.
The ability of the defective acute leukemia virus of chickens, MC-29, to participate in recombination was investigated by testing the ability of the MC-29 genome to donate sequences to its helper virus. The endogenous virus Rous associated virus O (RAV-O) was used as a helper for MC-29, and its genome was compared by fingerprinting to that of the original RAV-O. In three separate isolates, it was found that the RAV-O used as helper for MC-29 had acquired new sequences near the 3' and 5' ends of its genome. The new 3' proximal sequences resembled the C region found in exogenous but not endogenous avian oncoviruses, and it probably imparted a higher growth rate to the recombinant as compared to RAV-O. One isolate also showed recombination within the env gene. Because we could exclude the possibility that the recombination was with host cell information or with the original helper of MC-29, we conclude that the acquired sequences were derived from the MC-29 genome, and therefore this replication defective virus is not defective in recombination.
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Tsichlis et al. (1979) studied this question.
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