Virions of Heliothis armigera entomopoxvirus contain a homologue of the vaccinia VP8 major core protein

• Published in: Virus genes 1999, Vol.19 (1), p.23-31
• Main Authors: Crnov, R, Dall, D J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Chordopoxvirinae; Core protein; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; Entomopoxvirinae; Entomopoxvirinae - genetics; Genomes; Heliothis; Heliothis armigera; K protein; Lepidoptera - virology; Molecular Sequence Data; Noctuidae; Open reading frames; Phylogeny; Polyadenine; Polynucleotide adenylyltransferase; Post-translation; Proteins; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Vaccinia virus; Vaccinia virus - genetics; Viral Core Proteins - chemistry; Viral Core Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Structural Proteins - chemistry; Viral Structural Proteins - genetics; Virions
• ISSN: 0920-8569; 1572-994X
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1008132505315

An antigenic 30 K virion protein of Heliothis armigera entomopoxvirus (HaEPV) has been identified as a homologue of the chordopoxvirus (ChPV) VP8 major virion core protein. Like its homologue in vaccinia virus, the mature HaEPV 30 K protein is derived by post-translational cleavage of a precursor at a conserved AGA motif. The HaEPV 30 K protein is the first EPV structural virion protein to be described, and elucidation of its characteristics provides evidence for the assumption that morphological similarities observed between virions of the sub-families Entomopoxvirinae and Chordopoxvirinae by microscopy reflect corresponding similarities at a molecular level. Sequencing of the HaEPV genome adjacent to the 30K locus identified an ORF encoding a homologue of the regulatory sub-unit of the ChPV poly(A) polymerase enzyme; the conceptual product of this ORF showed 25-31% aa sequence identity to those of various ChPVs. The presence of this gene in the HaEPV genome supports the hypothesis that there is a substantial correspondence in basic metabolic processes of members of the two poxvirus sub-families, despite their utilization of divergent host groups. In contrast, the relative positions of the 30 K and poly(A) polymerase loci in the HaEPV genome provide further evidence of substantial genomic re-arrangement subsequent to divergence of these viral taxa.