Nucleotide sequence of Fujinami sarcoma virus: evolutionary relationship of its transforming gene with transforming genes of other sarcoma viruses

We determined the entire nucleotide sequence of the molecularly cloned DNA of Fujinami sarcoma virus (FSV). The sequence of 1182 amino acids was deduced for the FSV transforming protein P130, the product of the FSV gag-fps fused gene. The P130 sequence was highly homologous to the amino acid sequence obtained for the gag-fes protein of feline sarcoma virus, supporting the view that fps and fes were derived from a cognate cellular gene in avian and mammalian species. In addition, FSV P130 and p60^src of Rous sarcoma virus were 40% homologous in the region of the carboxyterminal 280 amino acids, which includes the phosphoacceptor tyrosine residue. These results strongly suggest that the 3′ region of fps/fes and src originated from a common progenitor sequence. A portion (the U3 region) of the long terminal repeat of FSV DNA appears to be unusual among avian retroviruses in its close similarity in sequence and overall organization to the same region of the endogenous viral ev1 DNA.