A naturally occurring feline APOBEC3 variant that loses anti-lentiviral activity by lacking two amino acid residues Konno, Yoriyuki and Nagaoka, Shumpei and Kimura, Izumi and Takahashi Ueda, Mahoko and Kumata, Ryuichi and Ito, Jumpei and Nakagawa, So and Kobayashi, Tomoko and Koyanagi, Yoshio and Sato, Kei,, 99, 704-709 (2018), doi = https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001046, publicationName = Microbiology Society, issn = 0022-1317, abstract= Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) is a mammalian protein that restricts lentiviral replication. Various polymorphisms of mammalian APOBEC3 genes have been observed in humans, Old World monkeys and domestic cats; however, the genetic diversity of APOBEC3 genes in other mammals remains unaddressed. Here we identify a novel haplotype of the feline APOBEC3Z3 gene, an APOBEC3 gene that restricts feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) replication, in a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Compared to the previously identified lynx APOBEC3Z3 (haplotype I), the new sequence (haplotype II) harbours two amino acid deletions (Q16 and H17) and a nonsynonymous substitution (R68Q). Interestingly, lynx APOBEC3Z3 haplotype II does not suppress FIV infectivity, whereas haplotype I does. Mutagenesis experiments further revealed that deleting two amino acids (Q16 and H17) causes anti-FIV activity loss. This report demonstrates that a naturally occurring APOBEC3 variant loses anti-lentiviral activity through the deletion of two amino acid residues., language=, type=