We report the complete 8714-nucleotide sequence of the integrated bovine leukemia virus genome and deduce the following genomic organization: 5' LTR-gag-polenv-pXBL-3' LTR, where LTR represents a long terminal repeat and PXBL represents a region containing unidentified open reading frames. This genomic structure is similar to that of human T-cell leukemia virus. The LTR contains a putative splice donor site in the R region. The gag gene encodes a precursor protein with the form NH2-p15-p24-p12-COOH. The NH2-and COOH-terminal regions of the pol product show stronger homologies with those of avian, rather than murine, type C retrovirus, and its structure is identical to that of avian virus. The env gene encodes a surface glycoprotein (gpSl) and a transmembrane protein (gp3O). In contrast to the pol product, the gp3O shows stronger sequence homology with a murine, rather than avian homologue, indicating the chimeric nature of the bovine leukemia virus genome. Comparisons of the best conserved pol sequences and overall genomic organizations between several major oncoviruses allow us to propose that bovine leukemia and human T-cell leukemia viruses constitute a group, designated as type "E," of Oncovirinae.

Sleep and wake have global effects on brain physiology, from molecular changes and neuronal activities to synaptic plasticity. Sleep-wake homeostasis is maintained by the generation of a sleep need that accumulates during waking and dissipates during sleep. Here we investigate the molecular basis of sleep need using quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of the sleep-deprived and Sleepy mouse models of increased sleep need. Sleep deprivation induces cumulative phosphorylation of the brain proteome, which dissipates during sleep. Sleepy mice, owing to a gain-of-function mutation in the Sik3 gene , have a constitutively high sleep need despite increased sleep amount. The brain proteome of these mice exhibits hyperphosphorylation, similar to that seen in the brain of sleep-deprived mice. Comparison of the two models identifies 80 mostly synaptic sleep-need-index phosphoproteins (SNIPPs), in which phosphorylation states closely parallel changes of sleep need. SLEEPY, the mutant SIK3 protein, preferentially associates with and phosphorylates SNIPPs. Inhibition of SIK3 activity reduces phosphorylation of SNIPPs and slow wave activity during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, the best known measurable index of sleep need, in both Sleepy mice and sleep-deprived wild-type mice. Our results suggest that phosphorylation of SNIPPs accumulates and dissipates in relation to sleep need, and therefore SNIPP phosphorylation is a molecular signature of sleep need. Whereas waking encodes memories by potentiating synapses, sleep consolidates memories and restores synaptic homeostasis by globally downscaling excitatory synapses. Thus, the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle of SNIPPs may represent a major regulatory mechanism that underlies both synaptic homeostasis and sleep-wake homeostasis.

The role of IL-7 in the stromal cell-dependent B cell development was investigated using two stromal cell clones, ST2 and PA6; the former supports B lymphopoiesis while the latter can not. We demonstrate here that: (a) the ability of the stromal cell clone to produce IL-7 correlates well with the stromal cell activity to support B lymphopoiesis; (b) IL-7 production by ST2 is inducible rather than constitutive; (c) the IL-7-dependent B cell itself is a potent inducer of IL-7 production by ST2; (d) addition of rIL-7 to the PA6 layer renders this in vitro environment B lymphopoietic; and (e) the differentiation from early B progenitor to pre-B cell requires both IL-7 and other stromal cell molecule(s) yet to be identified.

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