Comparative sequence analysis of the inverted terminal repetition in the genomes of animal and avian adenoviruses.

The nucleotide sequences at the inverted terminal repetitions from two animal adenoviruses, infectious canine hepatitis virus and equine adenovirus, and from one avian adenovirus, CELO, were analyzed. DNAs from infectious canine hepatitis virus and equine adenovirus contain a homologous region which is 23 nucleotides long from the terminus. The first 17 nucleotides of this region are identical to the ones in human adenovirus type 2 DNA. The striking homologous sequence of 14 nucleotides, conserved in the inverted terminal repetitions of several human adenovirus strains and in simian adenovirus type 7, is only partially conserved in the two animal and one avian adenoviruses reported here.