During the HIV-1 life cycle, the tRNA3Lys from the host cell serves as a primer for reverse transcription and to facilitate strand transfer to the 3′ region of the viral RNA. Now a long insertion with similarity to the tRNA3Lys gene is identified in the 3′ region of HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV, but not the more distant FIV, and shown to play a role in strand transfer in vitro.
- Dorota Piekna-Przybylska
- Laura DiChiacchio
- Robert A Bambara
