Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of bean pod mottle virus middle component RNA

The complete nucleotide sequence of the middle component RNA (M RNA) of the comovirus bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) has been determined. The sequence consists of 3662 nucleotides and contains a single long open reading frame sufficient to code for a protein of 113,353 Da. The proteolytic processing sites within this protein have been identified by comparison with the known three-dimensional structure of the virion and cleavage at these sites would lead to a range of products consistent with those observed during processing of the M RNA-encoded polyproteins in vitro. We have performed computer-aided searches for reiterated sequences within BPMV M RNA which might explain why ordered RNA is visible in the electron density map of BPMV middle component particles (Chen, Z., Stauffacher, C. V., Li, Y., Schmidt, T., Bomu, W., Kamer, G., Shanks, M., Lomonossoff, G., and Johnson, J. E., 1989, Science 245, 154-159). These searches revealed both the presence of overrepresented pentameric sequences and a consensus sequence which was repeated 15 times within the RNA sequence.