Topography of the simian rotavirus nonstructural glycoprotein (NS28) in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane

The simian rotavirus SA11 genome segment 10 codes for a nonstructural glycoprotein, NS28, that has been hypothesized to be involved in budding of viral particles into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Previous studies had suggested that NS28 is an integral membrane protein of the ER, possibly a transmembrane protein. We have examined the topography of NS28 inserted in microsomal membranes following cell-free translation of genome segment 10 transcripts. These transcripts were obtained either by hybrid selection of mRNA synthesized by the endogenous viral RNA polymerase or by in vitro transcription of genome segment 10 cDNA using SP6 polymerase. Full-length and truncated gene 10 transcripts were translated in a cell-free system supplemented with dog pancreatic microsomes. The existence of a cytoplasmic domain of the translation product was demonstrated by protease protection experiments. An 18,000 (18K) mol wt glycosylated polypeptide was protected from digestion with proteinase K and trypsin, whereas chymotrypsin digestion yielded a 23K mol wt glycosylated polypeptide. Correlation of these biochemical data with the known sequence of NS28 suggests that a 10K mol wt hydrophilic, carboxy-terminal fragment (from amino acid number 86 to amino acid number 175) of this glycoprotein is exposed on the cytoplasmic side of the ER membrane. A model of how NS28 folds in the ER membrane is proposed.