NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF OVINE ADENOVIRUS TRIPARTITE LEADER SEQUENCE AND HOMOLOGS OF THE IVA2, DNA-POLYMERASE AND TERMINAL PROTEINS

Ovine adenovirus OAV287 was previously isolated from sheep in Western Australia. Here we describe a portion of its genome between map units 10.3 and 31.7 which includes major ORFs for homologues of the IVa2 pol ypeptide and the DNA replication proteins, Terminal protein and DNA po lymerase, as well as the N-terminal portion of the 52/55-kDa polypepti de. In addition, as a prelude to possible adaptation of this virus as a vector we have mapped the elements which make up the tripartite lead er sequence of late mRNAs, thereby defining the probable location of t he OAV major late promoter. In other human and animal adenovirus genom es, one or two VA RNA genes are encoded between the ORFs for Terminal protein and 52/55-kDa polypeptides. In OAV, these ORFs overlap, sugges ting that if VA RNA genes are present, they may lie elsewhere in the O AV genome.