Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of the genome of hog cholera virus

A cDNA clone derived from genomic RNA of hog cholera virus (HCV) was identified using an oligonucleotide complementary to the RNA encoding a hexapeptide from the putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the closely related bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). This clone served as a probe for screening different size-selected cDNA libraries. After molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing the HCV genome was shown to consist of 12,284 nucleotides containing one long open reading frame. Sequence comparison revealed a high degree of homology between HCV and BVDV genomic RNAs. With respect to HCV the genome of BVDV contains an insertion coding for 90 amino acids.