Genetic recombination between two strains of fowl plague virus: construction of genetic maps

The sequence of RNA segment 1 of influenza virus A/NT/60/68 and its comparison with the corresponding segment of strains A/PR/8/34 and A/WSN/33

The complete nucleotide sequence of RNA segment 1 of influenza virus A/NT/60/68, corresponding to the PB2 protein, has been determined. It is 2341 nucleotides long, encoding a predicted product of 759 amino acids with a net charge of +27 1/2 at neutral pH. The predicted amino acid sequence has been compared to the equivalent sequences in influenza viruses A/PR/8/34 and A/WSN/33. Evolutionary divergence, assuming a direct lineage from A/PR/8/34 and allowing for "laboratory drift", is 0.08% per year. The alignment of RNA segment 10 of A/NT/60/68 with segments 1 and 3 is completed, confirming that it is a mosaic of regions from these two segments.

Nucleotide sequence of human influenza A/PR/8/34 segment 2

The nucleotide sequence of RNA segment 2 of human influenza strain A/PR/8/34 has been determined. Segment 2 in 2341 nucleotides long and encodes a protein of 757 amino acids (86,500 daltons molecular weight) which is involved in RNA synthesis. Although segment 2 is identical in size to segment 1, which encodes a protein of related function, neither the nucleotide sequences of these two RNA segments nor the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins appear to be homologous. The sequence of segment 2 completes the sequence of the virus (total 13,588 nucleotides).

The complete sequence of RNA segment 2 of influenza A/NT/60/68 P1 protein

A DNA copy of influenza A/NT/60/68 viral RNA segment 2, corresponding to protein P1, has been cloned in the E.coli plasmid pBr322. The clone is 2341 nucleotides long and represents a full-length copy of the viral RNA. In the viral complementary (plus sense) strand there is an open reading frame that is 2271 nucleotides long. The predicted primary gene product is a basic 86,300 dalton protein with a net charge at neutral pH of +23. A 29 amino acid stretch of the protein (coded by nucleotide residues 583-669) is highly basic and contains 7 lysine and 8 arginine residues. Other smaller clusters of basic amino acids are also present in the protein.

Nucleotide sequences of influenza virus segments 1 and 3 reveal mosaic structure of a small viral RNA segment

Defective interfering RNAs of influenza virus are small segments derived from viral segments 1, 2 and 3. We present here the complete nucleotide sequences of segments 1 and 3 from the human influenza strain A/PR/8/34 and deduce that the sequence of a small RNA segment from A/NT/60/68, apparently a defective interfering RNA, is derived from five separate regions in segment 3 and from one region in segment 1. These regions, which are located near the terminal of the two parental segments, are arranged in the small RNA segment in an alternating fashion: thus a region derived from near 5' terminus is adjacent to a region derived from near a 3' terminus. We propose that the small segment is generated during positive strand synthesis as a result of the viral polymerase pausing at uridine-rich sequences in the template and reinitiating synthesis at another site.

Functional expression in primate cells of cloned DNA coding for the hemagglutinin surface glycoprotein of influenza virus

We have used simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA as a vector for expression of functional activity of a cloned influenza viral DNA segment in primate cells. Cloned full-length DNA sequences coding for the hemagglutinin of influenza A virus (Udorn/72/[H3N2]) were inserted into the late region of a viable deletion mutant of SV40, and the hybrid DNA was propagated in the presence of an early SV40 mutant (tsA28) helper. Infection of primate cells with the hybrid virus produced a polypeptide similar in molecular size to the hemagglutinin of influenza virus, as shown by immunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis. The polypeptide was glycosylated, as shown by incorporation of radioactive sugars. The putative hemagglutinin exhibited functional activity, as shown by agglutination of erythrocytes. In addition, an indirect immunofluorescence assay showed that the hemagglutinin polypeptide of the hybrid virus could be detected on the surface of infected cells.

Electrophoretic migration rate differences of polypeptides of human influenza A viruses: partial analysis of the genome of influenza vaccine recombinant viruses

Electrophoretic migration rate differences were detected in high resolution SDS polyacrylamide gels for nucleoprotein (NP), matrix protein (M), non structural protein (NS1), haemagglutinin (HA) annd, less regularly, for the polymerase polypeptides P1, P2 and P3 induced by different influenza A viruses. The technique allowed parental assignation of the corresponding genes in certain recombinant viruses including A/PR/8/34 (H0N1)--A/HK/117/77 (H1N1), A/Okuda/57 (H2N2)--A/HK/119/77 (H1N1) and A/Leningrad/76 (H3N2)--A/Leningrad/46 (H0N1) recombinants, thus considerably extending the technique which had been applied previously to A/PR/8/34--A/HK/68 (H3N2) only. Agreement in gene assignment between three recombinants of the former group and 11 of 17 recombinants in the A/Okuda/57--A/HK/119/77 group was noted when the data obtained using the polypeptide method was correlated with a direct genetic analysis by others using RNA:RNA hybridisation techniques. The polypeptide method appears to have wide application for the initial rapid analysis of influenza A virus recombinants obtained using parents of different influenza subtypes although complete analysis of the total genome requires the use of RNA hybridisation techniques. Two additional virus induced proteins are described, a phosphorylated form of NS 1 and a non structual polypeptide with a molecular weight of 16K daltons.

Complete nucleotide sequence of an influenza virus haemagglutinin gene from cloned DNA

A synthetic fowl plague virus (FPV) haemagglutinin gene has been cloned in bacteria and the complete sequence of the RNA gene deduced. It is 1,742 nucleotides long and the mRNA codes for 56.3 amino acids in an uninterrupted sequence. The nature of some of the important domains in the haemagglutinin has been established, and their structure is discussed in relation to their function. Extensive amino acid sequence homologies exist between FPV and human influenza haemagglutinins.