Reverse transcriptase has been purified from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) by DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose chromatography. The purified enzyme consists of a single protein with a Mr of 67,000. When proteolysis is not minimized during purification, a fragment of Mr 54,000 is also observed. This is similar to the reverse transcriptase from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV), w...

Membrane targeting by the Gag proteins of the human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV types-1 and -2) is mediated by Gag's N-terminally myristylated matrix (MA) domain and is dependent on cellular phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2]. To determine if other lentiviruses employ a similar membrane targeting mechanism, we initiated studies of the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a wide...

The sensitivities of reverse transcriptases (RTs) from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) were directly compared. The two enzymes had similar sensitivities to three analogs of dTTP, namely, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate, 2',3'-dideoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate, and 2',3'-dideoxy-2',3'-didehydrothymidine 5'-triphosphate. Each of these an...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with several renal syndromes including acute and chronic renal failures, but the underlying pathogenic mechanisms are unclear. HIV and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) share numerous biological and pathological features, including renal alterations. We investigated and compared the morphological changes of renal tissue of 51 experimentally and...

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes feline AIDS in the domestic cat (Felis catus). Serological surveys indicate that at least 25 other species of cat possess antibodies that cross-react with domestic cat FIV. Most infected nondomestic cat species are without major symptoms of disease. Long-term studies of FIV genome varia...

Reverse transcription of retroviral genomes requires the action of an RNase H for template switching and primer generation. In this report, we compare enzymatic properties of the RNase H associated with the reverse transcriptase (RT) from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and that from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both enzymes displayed substrate preference for poly[3H](rG) . poly(dC) ...

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) can act as binding receptors for certain laboratory-adapted (TCA) strains of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Heparin, a soluble heparin sulfate (HS), can inhibit TCA HIV and FIV entry mediated by HSPG interaction in vitro. In the present study, we further determined the selective interaction of heparin with the V3 ...

New viral infections in humans usually result from viruses that have been transmitted from other species as zoonoses. For example, it is accepted widely that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the result of the propagation and adaptation of a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) from nonhuman primates to man [1]. Previously, we reported productive infection of primary human cells in vitro by ...