Evidence for a glycoprotein in reovirus

Intracellular posttranslational modifications of S1133 avian reovirus proteins

Avian reovirus S1133 specifies at least 10 primary translation products, eight of which are present in the viral particle and two of which are nonstructural proteins. In the work presented here, we studied the covalent modifications undergone by these translation products in the infected cell. The structural polypeptide mu2 was shown to be intracellularly modified by both myristoylation and proteolysis. The site-specific cleavage of mu2 yielded a large carboxy-terminal fragment and a myristoylated approximately 5,500-Mr peptide corresponding to the amino terminus. Both mu2 and its cleavage products were found to be structural components of the reovirion. Most avian reovirus proteins were found to be glycosylated and to have a blocking group at the amino terminus. In contrast to the mammalian reovirus system, none of the avian reovirus polypeptides was found to incorporate phosphorus during infection. Our results add to current understanding of the similarities and differences between avian and mammalian reoviruses.

Further analysis on the structural proteins of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus

The structural proteins of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) have been analyzed. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that IPNV proteins are slightly acidic with apparent pIs ranging from 5.8 to 6.6. To identify the IPNV surface-located proteins, purified virus was labelled either with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or with Na 125I. After analysis by SDS-PAGE, only the major viral protein, VP2, was labelled by either procedure. The accessibility of VP2 to these reagents suggests that this protein is externally located. In addition, using Concanavalin A conjugated with FITC and IPNV labelling with 3H-mannose, evidence is present that VP2 contains carbohydrate residues.

Molecular cloning and sequencing of the gene (M2) encoding the major virion structural protein (mu 1-mu 1C) of serotypes 1 and 3 of mammalian reovirus

Full-length c-DNA copies of the M2 gene from the Lang strain of type 1 and the Dearing strain of type 3 reovirus have been cloned in the Escherichia coli plasmid pAT153. DNA sequencing of these clones showed that the type 3 gene was 2207 nucleotides long and the single long open reading frame encoded a primary translation product (mu 1) of 709 amino acids with a molecular weight of 76,000. The type 1 gene was three nucleotides shorter at 2204 with the deletions occurring near the center of the coding sequence so that the primary translation product of this gene was one amino acid shorter at 708. Sequence homology between the two genes had an overall value of 85%, rising to 95% when only the noncoding sequences were compared. The 334 nucleotide changes between the two genes were distributed throughout the sequence with no apparent areas of concentration. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences showed that there were 24 differences between the two giving a homology of 96.6% at the protein level. The amino acid changes of which only 9 were nonconservative were again spread fairly evenly throughout the coding sequence although there was one small patch of 5 changes in a stretch of 10 amino acids near the carboxyl terminus. The post-translational cleavage to convert mu 1 to the major virion protein mu 1C is revealed as involving the removal of 42 amino acids exclusively from the amino terminus of mu 1. Simple addition of trypsin-sensitive cleavage sites or predicted secondary structure failed to show the cause of the large difference known to exist in the protease sensitivities of virions carrying these two proteins.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the M2 gene segment of reovirus type 3 dearing and analysis of its protein product mu 1

The nucleotide sequence of the M2 gene segment of the mammalian reovirus prototype strain, type 3 Dearing, was determined from a cloned full-length cDNA copy of the viral double-stranded RNA segment. The gene comprises 2203 nucleotides and has a single long open reading frame that spans bases 30 through 2154 and encodes the 708 amino acid outer capsid protein mu 1. Aminoterminal sequence analysis of mu 1C, the proteolytically cleaved form of mu 1 that is found in purified reovirions, has identified the site of mu 1 to mu 1C cleavage between residues 42 and 43 in the mu 1 sequence. Aminoterminal sequence analysis of delta, the proteolytically cleaved product of mu 1C that is found in chymotrypsin-generated intermediate subviral particles, has indicated that the mu 1C to delta cleavage occurs near the carboxyterminus of mu 1C. Lastly, stoichiometric determinations using new sequence information have suggested that approximately equimolar amounts of mu 1C and the other major outer capsid component sigma 3 are present in virions. The data presented in this study should be useful for understanding the molecular basis of the functions of the mu 1 protein in reovirus entry into cells and in pathogenesis in the host animal.

Multiple forms of the sigma 3 protein of reovirus: occurrence and binding properties

The sigma 3 protein of reovirus serotype 3 is present in different forms differing in isoelectric point, as already described by other authors. Proteolytic digestion of each of these forms generates similar peptides. The different forms are present in the mature virus and have affinity for double-stranded RNA and for ribosomes. The observations that the different forms have the same functional properties and are absent in reovirus serotype 1 suggest that the presence of multiple forms is dispensable. The different forms can be synthesized by in vitro translation of mRNA extracted from infected cells. However, only one form is clearly made when mRNA synthesized in vitro, using the cloned S4 gene encoding sigma 3 as a template, is translated in vitro. Similarly the cloned S4 gene expressed in vivo produces only one form of the protein. These results indicate that the other forms are not derived by post-translational modification. The different forms are possibly due to the presence of mutant viruses.

Switch-on of transcriptase function in reovirus: analysis of polypeptide changes using 2-D gels

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (IEF and SDS-PAGE) was used to examine virion polypeptide changes associated with switch-on of transcriptase function in reovirus. Results reveal that switch-on is correlated with altered electrophoretic behavior of a specific minor polypeptide (delta 1) which is present in intermediate subviral particles. A second finding is that each of the molecular weight classes of viral polypeptides exists as a series of subspecies with different isoelectric points. This suggests that extensive posttranslational modification of progeny viral polypeptides occurs during particle morphogenesis. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications.

Reovirus type 3 genome segment S4: nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding a major virion surface protein

A full-length cDNA copy of reovirus double-stranded RNA genome segment S4 which codes for a major virion structural polypeptide, sigma 3, has been completely sequenced. The 1,196-nucleotide cDNA contains a single long open reading frame in the plus strand extending 1,095 nucleotides from the 5'-proximal A-T-G to a single stop codon. This corresponds to translation of 92% of the S4 gene. The inferred sigma 3 polypeptide is hydrophilic and consists of 365 amino acids, totalling 41,164 daltons.

Effects of tunicamycin on rotavirus morphogenesis and infectivity

The functions of the two rotavirus glycoproteins were investigated by using tunicamycin and a variant of SA11 rotavirus having nonglycosylated VP7. Results showed that glycosylation of VP7 is not required for normal viral morphogenesis and infectivity and suggested that the nonstructural glycoprotein is involved in assembly of the outer capsid.

Rotaviruses code for two types of glycoprotein precursors

Rotaviruses are nonenveloped viruses that code for two glycoproteins: a structural glycoprotein (VP7) and a nonstructural glycoprotein (NS29). The precursor to VP7 (37K) was shown to contain a 1.5K cleavable signal sequence. The 37K precursor was authentically processed (signal sequence cleaved and the polypeptide "core" glycosylated) when synthesized in a cell-free system supplemented with dog pancreatic microsomes. Similar experiments were performed with the nonstructural glycoprotein precursor (20K); however, the 20K precursor contained an integral (noncleavable) signal sequence. Both precursors were inserted into membranes cotranslationally and both glycosylated products underwent posttranslational oligosaccharide processing. The results suggest a morphogenetic scheme for the simian rotavirus SA11.

Biosynthesis of virus-specific proteins in cells infected with infectious bursal disease virus and their significance as structural elements for infectious virus and incomplete particles

It has previously been shown that infectious bursal disease virus is a naked icosahedral particle with a diameter of about 60 nm and a genome consisting of two segments of double-stranded RNA (Müller et al., J. Virol. 31:584-589, 1979). One of the two major structural polypeptides (molecular weight, 40,000) of this virus could not be found in lysates of infected cells; it is derived from a precursor polypeptide demonstrable inside the cells in relatively large quantities and seems to be processed during virus assembly or later. The precursor molecule is regularly present in the infectious virus particle (buoyant density, 1.33 g/ml) in minor proportions, but it represents an outstanding structural element of incomplete noninfectious particles ("top components"; buoyant density, 1.29 g/ml) which contain viral RNA. This type of incomplete particles is mainly produced by chicken embryo fibroblasts in contrast to lymphoid cells from the bursa of Fabricius. Precursor-product relationships also seem to exist in the biosynthesis of the other viral polypeptides. In contrast to some other viruses with a segmented double-stranded RNA genome, none of the structural proteins of infectious bursal disease virus is appreciably glycosylated.

Effect of tunicamycin on rotavirus assembly and infectivity

Bovine rotavirus grown in the presence or absence of tunicamycin was analyzed with respect to yield of infectious virus, the ratio of complete to incomplete particles, and polypeptide composition. Tunicamycin at a concentration of 1 microgram/ml reduced virus yields by 4 logs and completely prevented the incorporation of [3H]uridine into complete rotavirus particles, as determined by cesium chloride gradient analysis. Concomitant with a reduction in complete particles, three rotavirus polypeptides shifted in their relative position on polyacrylamide gels from 41,900-molecular-weight position (41.9K), 29.3K, and 16.1K to migrate at 35.5K, 22.7K, and 15.5K, respectively. Limited proteolysis indicated that the lower-molecular-weight polypeptides possessed the same constituent peptides as the larger polypeptides, suggesting that they represented the unglycosylated equivalents. These results suggest that interference with glycosylation prevents proper assembly of the outer coat proteins in bovine rotavirus.

Attachment of SA-11 rotavirus to erythrocyte receptors

Treatment of human group O and sheep erythrocytes with receptor-destroying enzyme rendered them inagglutinable by simian rotavirus SA-11. The erythrocyte receptors were also removed by periodate oxidation and markedly reduced by incubation with a high concentration of trypsin, but they were not altered by infectivity-enhancing concentrations of trypsin, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, or sodium sulfite (Na2SO3). Hemagglutinating activity of the virus particles was destroyed by periodate oxidation at 37 degrees C, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, and a high concentration of trypsin and decreased by Na2SOa but was not altered by incubation with receptor-destroying enzyme, infectivity-enhancing concentrations of trypsin, or periodate oxidation at 4 degrees C. These results indicate that neuraminic acid-containing receptor substances are involved in the interaction of the virus with human and sheep erythrocytes, and suggest that SA-11-erythrocyte union involves carbohydrate on the surface of erythrocytes but not on the virion. Sensitivities of the SA-11 hemagglutinin to alcohols and repeated freeze-thaw cycles were also investigated.

Genome RNAs and polypeptides of reovirus serotypes 1, 2, and 3

The virus-specific double-stranded genome RNA and polypeptides present in virions and cells infected with the three mammalian reovirus serotypes have been examined by co-electrophoresis in several different polyacrylamide gel systems. The double-stranded RNA and polypeptide species previously described for type 3 Dearing were found to have corresponding species in the other serotypes examined. In each serotype several RNA and polypeptide species were found to have different electrophoretic mobilities from the corresponding RNA or polypeptide species of type 3 Dearing. The combination of electrophoretic variants among the RNAs and polypeptides of the reovirus serotypes gave electrophoretic markers in all 10 of the reovirus genes. The usefulness of these electrophoretic markers in "mapping" the reovirus genome is discussed.