Medical Definition of Avian leukaemia virus
1.
Group of C type RNA tumour viruses (Oncovirinae) that cause various leukaemias and other tumours in birds.
The acute leukaemia viruses, that are replication defective and require helper viruses, include avian erythroblastosis (AEV), myeloblastosis (AMV) and myelo cytomatosis viruses.
AEV carries two transforming genes, v erbA and v erbB, the cellular homologue of the latter is the structural gene for the epidermal growth factor receptor. AMV carries v myb and causes a myeloid leukaemia, avian myelocytomatosis virus carries v myc.
The avian lymphatic leukaemia viruses (ALV) are also Retroviridae but are replication competent and induce neoplasia only after several months, they often occur in conjunction with replication defective leukaemia viruses.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(22 Feb 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Avian Leukaemia Virus
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