The sequence organization of mouse mammary tumor virus DNA endogenous to the C57BL/6 inbred mouse strain was characterized by Southern blot analysis, utilizing probes specific for particular regions of the mouse mammary tumor virus provirus and by molecular cloning of endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus DNA. The genome of C57BL/6 mice contains three apparently intact, endogenous proviral units; two of these units comprise the Mtv-8 (unit II) and Mtv-9 (unit III) genetic loci that are also present in the DNA of BALB/c mice. The third unit is defined by EcoRI restriction fragments of 10.0 and 8.4 kilobases that contain the 5' and 3' portions of the provirus, respectively. This unit, termed unit XI and encoded by the genetic locus Mtv-17, has not been previously recognized in C57BL/6 DNA, but it can be clearly distinguished from the proviral units at Mtv-8 and Mtv-9 by Southern blot analysis under appropriate conditions. The proviral unit at Mtv-17 is not present in BALB/c DNA. DNAs comprising the entire Mtv-8 locus and the 3' portions of Mtv-9 and Mtv-17 were cloned. Analysis of the cloned DNA revealed no obvious deletions or rearrangements that would render proviral DNA defective; however, these endogenous genes are normally not transcriptionally active.

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