Abstract
The minimal cis-acting sequences outside the long terminal repeat (LTR) required for formation of an infectious retrovirus cloning vector were determined with recombinants of spleen necrosis virus (SNV) DNA and herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene. The 3'' end of SNV DNA was removed to within 40 base pairs (bp) from the 3'' LTR with only a 2-fold effect on the recovery of infectious recombinant virus. When the 5'' end of SNV DNA was removed to within 100 bp from the 5'' LTR, infectious recombinant virus was not recovered. Deletion mutants constructed around this latter region showed that nucleotides between 100 and 285 bp from the 5'' LTR are necessary for encapsidation of genomic viral RNA; this region is designated region E.