Characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus gene products with antisera against bacterially synthesized fusion proteins

Defined segments of the cloned foot-and-mouth disease virus genome corresponding to all parts of the coding region were expressed in Escherichia coli as fusions to the N-terminal part of the MS2-polymerase gene under the control of the inducible lambda PL promoter. All constructs yielded large amounts of proteins, which were purified and used to raise sequence-specific antisera in rabbits. These antisera were used to identify the corresponding viral gene products in 35S-labeled extracts from foot-and-mouth disease virus gene products in the nucleotide sequence, to identify precursor-product relationships, and to detect several foot-and-mouth disease virus gene products not previously identified in vivo or in vitro.

A comparative chemical and serological study of the full and empty particles of foot-and mouth disease virus

The chemical and serological properties of the full, naturally occurring empty and artificially produced empty particles of foot-and-mouth disease virus, serotype A(subtype 10, strain 16) have been studies. The full 146S particles comprised the virus RNA, three polypeptides (VP1 to VP3) mol. wt. about 30 X 10-3, one polypeptide (VP4) mol. wt. about 13-5 X 10-3, and a small amount of a polypeptide (VPo) mol. wt. about 43 X 10-3. The naturally occurring 75S empty particles contained no RNA and much less VP1 and VP4 than were found in the fall particles. However they contained a much greater proportion of VPo than the full particles. Dialysis of purified full particles against tris-EDTA, pH 7-6, produced artificial 75S empty particles which contained only a small amount of RNA and no VP4; otherwise the polypeptide composition was similar to that of the full particles. Immunological and serological tests showed that the full particles were antigenically similar to the naturally occurring empty particles but distinct from the artificial empty particles. The latter particles, however, had serological properties similar to those of the 12S protein subunit of the virus. Both the full and naturally occurring empty particles attached efficiently to susceptible cells, whereas the artificial empty particles attached only to a limited extent. The results are related to the function of the individual polypeptides of the virus particle and compared with published work on other picornaviruses.

Stability and immunogenicity of empty particles of foot-and-mouth disease virus

Three strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus were shown to contain significant amounts of naturally occurring 75S, empty particles as well as the infectious, 140S full particles. One of these strains--A Pando (1970)--was studied in detail. The empty particles from this virus strain were shown to have an observed sedimentation coefficient of 67S in 0.04 M phosphate buffer; they were labile in SDS, non-infectious and probably RNA-free and, on heating, they broke down to 12S subunits as did the 140S particles. The empty particles differed from the full particles in their polypeptide composition since they contained VP0, but there was no evidence for a diminished content of VP4. The 75S particles were shown to be present in significant amounts and to be stable to AEI inactivation. At 4 degrees C they were stable for at least two years. In guinea pigs they were as immunogenic as the 140S particles. The antisera raised against the 75S particles had the same serological specificity in neutralization tests as sera prepared against the 140S particle. It was concluded that the 75S particles from the A Pando (1970) strain of FMD virus may provide as important a contribution as 140S particles to the immunogenicity of inactivated vaccines prepared from this virus strain.

Biochemical analysis of a virulent and an avirulent strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus

A comparison has been made of some of the serological and physicochemical properties of a virulent and an avirulent strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus, serotype SAT1. The avirulent strain (SAT1-82) was derived from the virulent strain (SAT1-7) by serial passage in BHK 21 cells. The viruses were indistinguishable in cross-neutralization tests. In immunodiffusion tests a clear spur line was obtained with the SAT1-82 antiserum but not with SAT1-7 antiserum. The major polypeptides of the two viruses were identical when examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Hybridization and thermal denaturation experiments failed to distinguish between the RNAs but two-dimensional electrophoresis of the oligonucleotides produced by ribonuclease T1 digestion revealed several differences. Possibly the most significant of these differences was the size of the polycytidylic acid [poly (C)] tract. There were about 170 nucleotides in the poly (C) tract of the SAT1-7 RNA compared with around 100 in the SAT1-82 RNA. Further evidence for this deletion was provided by the slightly different behaviour of the two RNAs when compared by sucrose gradient centrifugation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Heterogeneity of the genome-linked protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus

The genome-linked protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus was examined by electrofocusing in polyacrylamide gels. Two proteins of different charge and amino acid composition were found. The tryptic peptide maps of the proteins were dissimilar. The possible relationship between the two proteins is discussed.

Purification and identification of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of foot-and-mouth disease virus

The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase induced in BHK 21 cells by infection with foot-and-mouth disease virus has been isolated from the replication complex. It contains a major, virus-coded protein with mol. wt. 56 000 which appears from serological studies and tryptic peptide mapping to be the same as the virus infection associated (VIA) antigen and the protein P56 found in cells infected with the virus. Other virus coded proteins and a host cell protein were present in the partially purified replication complex but were removed by digestion with ribonuclease T1, leaving only the major virus coded protein. The tryptic peptide maps of the VIA antigen of the seven serotypes of the virus were similar, suggesting a high level of conservation in that region of the genome coding for the RNA polymerase of each type.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus immunogenic capsid protein VPT: N-terminal sequences and immunogenic peptides obtained by CNBr and tryptic cleavages

The immunogenic capsid protein (VPT), circa 30 kiladaltons (kd), of foot-and-mouth disease virus was examined for (i) its ability to induce neutralizing antibody in guinea pigs after chemical modifications and CNBr or tryptic cleavages and (ii) N-terminal amino sequence homology across three virus types. The immunogenicity of VPT was inactivated by glutaraldehyde treatment, carboxymethylation and maleylation or citraconylation. However, de-citraconylation restored part of the lost activity. Cleavage of type A12 VPT with CNBr produced an immunogenic peptide of circa 13 kd. A slightly larger (ca. 16 kd) immunogenic doublet, VPTab, was obtained by tyrptic cleavage of VPT in the virion. Sequence homologies of circa 85% were found between the first 26 amino acids at the N-terminus of VP chains from virus types A12 strain 119 (A12), C3 Resende (C3R) and O1 Brugge (O1B).

Sequence and location of the poly C tract in aphtho- and cardiovirus RNA

The poly C tract in the RNA of the aphtho- and cardio viruses has been examined in several isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus. The length of the tract is variable, containing 100 to 170 bases in the FMDV isolates and 80 to 250 bases in the EMC virus isolates. Each poly C tract contains c. 10% A and U residues, located at the 5' end, i.e. most of the tract is a continuous run of C residues. The position of the tract on the genome was the same in each of the FMDV isolates, about 400 bases from the 5' end, whereas in the EMC virus isolates it was about 150 bases from the 5' end.

A re-appraisal of the biochemical map of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA

The proteins induced by infection of BHK 21 cells with foot-and-mouth disease virus have been compared by tryptic peptide analysis. The results indicate that there are three primary products 5'--P88, P52, P100--3'. The polypeptide P56, which we considered previously to be a primary product, is derived from the region of the genome that codes for P100. The results indicate that there are alternative cleavage pathways of P100, the polypeptide coded for by the 3' end of the genome.

An assessment by competition hybridization of the sequence homology between the RNAs of the seven serotypes of FMDV

A comparison has been made of the RNAs of the seven serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) by competition hybridization. Homology among the three European serotypes A, O, C and the Asia I serotype was 60 to 70%. Similar homologies were found among the three Southern African Territories serotypes (SAT I, SAT 2, SAT 3), but homology between the two groups was much lower (25 to 40%). Homology between the RNAs of subtypes within serotypes A and O was greater than 70%. Double competition experiments with the Eropean serotypes indicate sharing of nucleotide sequences.

Absence of poly (A) from the infective RNA of Nodamura virus

With the exception of phage Qbeta, the RNAs of all the other small icosahedral RNA viruses so far examined contain a poly (A) tract. This tract has been implicated in the infectivity of poliovirus RNA. We have now shown that Nodamura virus, a divided genome virus from which infective RNA can be extracted, does not contain any poly (A) tracts. This evidence with Nodamura virus shows that poly (A) is not a necessary requirement for the infectivity of virus RNA molecules.

Biochemical mapping of the foot-and-mouth disease virus genome

Four primary cleavage products, mol. wt. 10(3) X 100, 88, 56 and 52 (P100, P85, P56 and P52 respectively) are present in BHK 2I cells infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). However, no precursor polyprotein equal to the sum of their mol. wt. was detected, even when amino acid analogues and proteolytic enzyme inhibitors were used. Three of the primary products were shown to cleave to smaller polypeptides, including the capsid polypeptides of the virus. Polypeptide P88, which was shown to be the precursor of the capsid polypeptides, is translated from the gene located at the 5'-end of the genome. The order of the structural polypeptides, determined by the use of emetine, is VP4, VP2, VP3, VP1. The order of the remaining primary cleavage products is P52, P56 and P100. P56 is a stable product, identical with the virus infection associated (VIA) antigen found in virus harvests. The function of the other two products P52 and P100 is not known. EMDV thus differs from other picornaviruses in that there is an extra primary cleavage product, apparently resulting from translation of more of the virus genome.

Temperature-sensitive mutants of foot-and-mouth disease virus with altered structural polypeptides. I. Identification by electrofocusing

The structural polypeptides of foot-and-mouth disease virus were analyzed by electrofocusing in a polyacrylamide gel containing 9 M urea. Three versions of the technique were used to accomodate the widely differing isoelectric points of the four polypeptides. VP2 was identified by comparing mature virus with procapsids. The selective actions of proteases on virions of two serotypes and on their 12S particles were examined. From this emerged a simple test for distinguishing the similarly sized polypeptides: VP1, VP2, and VP3. The effects of carbamylation and succinylation on the charge of the polypeptides were investigated. From the properties of polypeptides modified either chemically or by mutation, it was concluded that all amino acid substitutions that might be expected to cause a charge change would be detected except for neutral-to-histidine substitutions in the most basic polypeptide, VP1. In a sample of 73 temperature-sensitive mutants, 11 classes of variant polypeptides were distinguished on the basis of charge. Their molecular weights were unchanged. Alterations were found in all structural polypeptides except VP4. Mutations affecting VP2 caused similar shifts in the precursor, VP0.

Identification of an exposed region of the immunogenic capsid polypeptide VP1 on foot-and-mouth disease virus

Iodination of intact foot-and-mouth disease virus results in the selective labeling of VP1, substantiating its exposed location on the virion. A comparison of tryptic peptides revealed that a single tyrosine-containing peptide was labeled with iodine on intact or protease-cleaved virus. The labeled peptide from intact and protease-cleaved virus was characterized by molecular weight sizing and sequence analysis. Carboxypeptidase digestion of intact VP1, limited trypsin-cleaved VP1, and VP1 purified from bacterially contaminated tissue cultures yielded carboxyterminal residues of leucine, valine-arginine, and serine-alanine, respectively. The correlation of these findings with previous data on the amino acid sequence derived from nucleotide sequencing of serotypes A12 and O1 of foot-and-mouth disease virus VP1 places the probable exposed antigenic region of VP1 in a serotype-variable region including residues 136 through 144.

Comparative biochemical and serological analysis of five isolates of a single serotype of foot-and-mouth disease virus

A comparison has been made of some of the biochemical and serological characteristics of five isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), serotype A. Three of the viruses have been assigned to the same subtype, A22; the other two belong to different subtypes, A5 and A24. RNA competition hybridization and two-dimensional electrophoresis of the oligonucleotides produced by ribonuclease T1 showed that the three A22 viruses formed a group which could be distinguished from the A5 and A24 viruses. However, the three A22 viruses showed some differences by both tests. Analysis of the virus polypeptides by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis methods also distinguished the A22 viruses as a group distinct from the A5 and A24 viruses, but small differences within the A22 group were observed using electrofocusing techniques. Serological differences were observed between the viruses using complement fixation tests and by competition radioimmunoassay with antisera obtained from guinea pigs infected with these viruses. The greatest similarity occurred between the viruses previously subtyped as A22, with A5 and A24 being distinct from the A22 group and from each other. The relationship of the biochemical and serological data is discussed.