DETECTION, CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PAPILLOMAVIRAL DNA PRESENTIN SARCOID TUMORS OF EQUUS-ASINUS

Molecular investigations on 18 naturally occurring sarcoid tumours rem oved from donkeys identified papillomaviral DNA homologous to bovine p apillomavirus (BPV)-2 DNA under stringent conditions, in all the sampl es. Restriction endonuclease analysis of 15 of the tumours demonstrate d papillomaviral DNA Similar to BPV-1 and BPV-2. The type of DNA was n ot specific to either the site or the type of lesion. The analysis of the nucleotide base sequence of a cloned papillomaviral element from a sarcoid showed that the isolate was 96 and 98 per cent homologous to BPV-1 in the L1 and E5 open reading frames, respectively. It was concl uded that the disease in the donkey is similar to that in the horse an d that the E5 open reading frame mag be involved in oncogenesis in the sarcoid.