The Mechanism of Viral Carcinogenesis by DNA Mammalian Viruses: DNA-DNA Homology Relationships Among the ‘Weakly’ Oncogenic Human Adenoviruses

Hybridization reactions between the DNAs of the six members of the ‘weakly’ oncogenic adenovirus group (types 3, 7, 11, 14, 16 and 21) show that they are closely related to each other, sharing 70 to 100% of their nucleotide sequences. The ‘weakly’ oncogenic adenoviruses are but distantly related to ‘strongly’ oncogenic types 12 and 18, showing only 11 to 22% homology. Thus, two groups of oncogenic adenoviruses exist, differing remarkably in nucleotide sequence as well as in base composition and degree of oncogenicity.