Molecular characterization of three rabbit rotavirus strains

We report biochemical (RNA and protein patterns and gene-coding assignments) and serologic (serotype and subgroup) properties of three strains of rabbit rotaviruses--Ala C11 and R2. The RNA electropherotypes were a standard "short" pattern for R2, an unusual "short" pattern for Ala, and an unusual "long" pattern for C11. Serologic studies indicated that these viruses were all group A serotype 3 rotaviruses. In addition, the Ala and C11 viruses were found to possess subgroup I specificity, whereas the R2 virus possessed subgroup II specificity. In contrast to their distinctive RNA patterns, the polypeptide patterns of the rabbit viruses were similar to those of SA11. To identify cognate genes and determine gene-coding assignments for the rabbit rotaviruses, cDNA probes of individual SA11 genes were hybridized to rabbit rotaviral genomic RNA segments that had been separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to filters (Northern blots). The order of genome segments 7-11 for each of the rabbit rotaviruses was unique and differed from that of SA11 genes. These differences were possibly due to rearrangements of the RNA sequences within these individual genome segments. Sequence analysis of the individual RNA segments will confirm whether genome rearrangements are the molecular basis for these novel migration patterns.