6 Supplement

Abstract

Their epidemiology apart, new information about human papovaviruses continues to affirm their extraordinary similarity to SV40.

Epidemiology
Infections with JCV and BKV have been shown to be associated with an increased frequency of transplant-related complications. In a study of 61 renal transplant patients, Hogan et al. (1980a,b) found serological and microscopic evidence of JCV and/or BKV infections in 52% of the patients. The serological data suggested that most infections with JCV were primary, whereas most BKV infections resulted from virus reactivation.

Recent virological and serological studies demonstrate active BKV or JCV infections in 3–5% of pregnant women (Coleman et al. 1980; Shah et al. 1980 and pers. comm.). In contrast to the results of Taguchi et al. (1975), antibodies specific for JCV or BKV were not detected in the IgM fractions of cord bloods, suggesting that fetal infection in utero did not occur.

Organization of JCV and BKV Genomes
DNA Sequence
Two groups have now published the DNA sequences of three strains of BKV (Seif et al. 1979b; Yang and Wu 1979). Their results confirm that BKV and SV40 are very closely related. Furthermore, sequence analysis of BKV (MM) reveals that this isolate is a naturally occurring, viable deletion mutant that has lost sequences coding for the small T protein (Yang and Wu 1979). Like the equivalent mutants constructed in SV40, BKV (MM) has retained the ability to transform cells in culture and to induce tumors in rodents (Costa et al. 1976Costa et al. 1977; Mason and Takemoto 1977).

Although sequence...