Squirrel monkey retrovirus: an endogenous virus of a new world primate

Abstract

Squirrel monkey retrovirus (SMRV) was isolated by cocultivation of squirrel monkey lung cells with canine cells. 3H-labeled 60-705 SMRV RNA, isolated from virus grown in canine cells, hybridized to the same extent and to the same Cot,,2 value to the DNA of all tissues of all squirrel monkeys tested; Cot,,2 values rival. 294

Immunological relationships of OMC-1, an endogenous virus of owl monkeys, with mammalian and avian type C viruses

“…Primates have also been shown to possess endogenous viruses of the type D oncovirus genus. SMRV (16) and langur endogenous virus (27) possess considerable genetic homology with cellular DNAs of their respective New and Old World host species (9,11,17). Unlike OMC-1 and BEV, the major structural proteins of these type D viruses have been shown to be immnunologically related to one another, raising the possibility that a type D virus progenitor became established within the primate germ line prior to the divergence of New and Old World monkeys (12,17).…”

Molecular diversity among five different endogenous primate retroviruses

“…In contrast, the type D virus isolates, PO-i-Lu, M534, and MPMV, contained a reverse transcriptase that preferred Mg2+ when synthetic templates were used, thus serving to distinguish these from the type C virus class. The DNA polymerase of the squirrel monkey type D virus group can be further distinguished from that of MPMV by its shift to a manganese preference in the presence of high salt (10).…”

“…Normal cellular DNA of Old and New World primates contains vertically transmitted gene sequences of at least three type C and two type D retroviruses. These include the endogenous type C viruses of baboons (such as M7, M28, and PP-1) (3, 45), owl monkeys (OMC-1) (44), and macaque monkeys (MAC-1) (43) and the type D viruses of squirrel monkeys (SMRV, M534) (10,21) and langur monkeys (PO-1-Lu) (6,42). These viruses are of particular interest because of the close evolutionary relationship of certain of these species to humans and of the involvement of retroviruses of other mammals and birds in the genesis of naturally occurring leukemias and solid tumors.…”

Retrocopying expands the functional repertoire of APOBEC3 antiviral proteins in primates

“…Although we used the lentivirus HIV-1Vif to measure the anti-retroviral activity of NWM A3G retrocopies, lentiviruses have not yet been found in NWMs. Even apart from lentiviruses, few active retroviruses in general have been found in NWMs; those that have been found likely represent the tip of an understudied aspect of monkey and virus biology (Colcher et al, 1977;Muniz et al, 2013). Thus, HIV-1Vif only serves as a proxy for the activity of A3G retrocopies towards some relevant viral pathogen in the natural environment of these monkeys.…”