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Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the major capsid protein of the iridovirus frog virus 3
1Department of Microbiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, 39216, USA.
Abstract:
The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding in the major capsid protein (MCP) of frog virus 3 (FV3) has been determined and compared to other iridovirus capsid genes. Nucleotide sequence and S1 nuclease analysis showed that the FV3 MCP gene encoded a transcript of 1452 nucleotides containing a 12 nucleotide AU-rich 5' nontranslated region (NTR) and a 50-nucleotide 3' NTR whose terminus was predicted to fold into a hairpin of moderate stability. An open reading frame initiating from the the 5'-most AUG codon encoded a protein of 463 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 49,860. Expression of the putative FV3 MCP gene in vitro confirmed that it encoded the major capsid protein of FV3 and supported the suggestion that translation initiated at AUG-1. Pairwise amino acid alignments detected a high degree of sequence identity between the FV3 MCP and other iridoviruses. These results indicate that iridoviruses possess an evolutionarily related major capsid protein and provide information useful not only in studies of viral gene expression, but also in characterizing newly isolated iridoviruses.
Insights
The major capsid protein (MCP) gene of frog virus 3 (FV3) was sequenced, revealing its structure and evolutionary links to other iridoviruses. This finding aids in understanding viral gene expression and identifying new iridoviruses.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The major capsid protein (MCP) is crucial for viral structure.
- Understanding iridovirus MCP genes is key to viral classification and replication studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the nucleotide sequence of the frog virus 3 (FV3) MCP gene.
- To compare the FV3 MCP gene with other iridovirus capsid genes.
- To analyze the structure and expression of the FV3 MCP gene.
Main Methods:
- Nucleotide sequencing
- S1 nuclease analysis
- In vitro expression studies
- Pairwise amino acid sequence alignment
Main Results:
- The FV3 MCP gene encodes a 1452-nucleotide transcript with specific 5' and 3' non-translated regions.
- The open reading frame encodes a 463-amino acid protein (49,860 Da), with translation initiating at AUG-1.
- High sequence identity was found between FV3 MCP and other iridovirus MCPs, indicating evolutionary relatedness.
Conclusions:
- The FV3 MCP gene is evolutionarily related to other iridovirus MCP genes.
- The determined sequence and expression data provide valuable insights for viral gene expression studies.
- This information can assist in the characterization of newly isolated iridoviruses.
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