Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

J Virol 2005 Oct;79(20):13094-104

Complete nucleotide sequence of polyomavirus SA12.

Cantalupo P, Doering A, Sullivan CS, Pal A, Peden KW, Lewis AM, Pipas JM

Pipas JM, Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Biol Sci, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Biol Sci, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA Univ Calif San Francisco, Howard Hughes Med Inst, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA Univ Calif San Francisco, GW Hooper Fdn, Dept Microbiol, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA Univ Calif San Francisco, GW Hooper Fdn, Dept Med, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA US FDA, Div Viral Prod, Ctr Biol Evaluat & Res, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA

The Polyomaviridae have small icosahedral virions that contain a genome of approximately 5,000 bp of circular double-stranded DNA. Polyomaviruses infect hosts ranging from humans to birds, and some members of this family induce tumors in test animals or in their natural hosts. We report the complete nucleotide sequence of simian agent 12 (SA12), whose natural host is thought to be Papio ursinus, the chacma baboon. The 5,230-bp genome has a genetic organization typical of polyomaviruses. Sequences encoding large T antigen, small t antigen, agnoprotein, and the viral capsid proteins VP1, VP2, and VP3 are present in the expected locations. We show that, like its close relative simian virus 40 (SV40), SA12 expresses microRNAs that are encoded by the late DNA strand overlapping the 3' end of large T antigen coding sequences. Based on sequence comparisons, SA12 is most closely related to BK virus (BKV), a human polyomavirus. We have developed a real-time PCR test that distinguishes SA12 from BKV and the other closely related polyomaviruses JC virus and SV40. The close relationship between SA12 and BKV raises the possibility that these viruses circulate between human and baboon hosts.