Structure and variation of the influenza C glycoprotein

The amino acid sequence of the influenza C/JHB/1/66 glycoprotein was predicted from sequence analysis of cloned DNA. The glycoprotein exhibited several similarities to the haemagglutinin (HA) glycoproteins of influenza A and B viruses, although its overall homology to these glycoproteins was low. A comparison between the sequences of C/JHB/1/66 and C/Cal/78 strains revealed 96% homology. The nucleotide and amino acid changes appeared to be non-random, with a high proportion occurring between amino acid positions 182-212. A comparison between the JHB/1/66 glycoprotein and the influenza A/X31 HA sequence suggested that this region may be structurally analogous to the 'A' antigenic site of the HA glycoprotein.