Rice tungro spherical virus polyprotein processing: identification of a virus-encoded protease and mutational analysis of putative cleavage sites.
Virology 1998;
247:106-14. [PMID:
9683576 DOI:
10.1006/viro.1998.9225]
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Abstract
Rice tungro spherical virus encodes a large polyprotein containing motifs with sequence similarity to viral serine-like proteases and RNA polymerases. Polyclonal antisera raised against domains of the putative protease and polymerase in fusion with glutathione S-transferase detected a protein of about 35 kDa and, in very low amounts, a protein of about 70 kDa, respectively, in extracts from infected plants. In in vitro transcription/translation systems and in Escherichia coli we demonstrated a proteolytic activity in the C-terminal region of the polyprotein. This protease rapidly cleaved its polyprotein precursors in vitro. Mutating a potential cleavage site located N-terminal to the protease domain, Gln2526-Asp2527, diminished processing. The transversion mutation at the putative C-terminal cleavage site of the protease, at Gln2852-Ala2853, led to a delayed and partial processing.
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