Identification of hepatitis A virus non-structural protein 2B and its release by the major virus protease 3C

Institute for Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Frohbergstrasse 3, CH-9001 St Gallen, Switzerland The RNA genome of hepatitis A virus (HAV) encodes a giant polyprotein that is putatively cleaved proteolytically into four structural and seven non-structural proteins. So far, most of the proposed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general virology 1996-02, Vol.77 (2), p.247-255
Main Authors: Gosert, Rainer, Cassinotti, Pascal, Siegl, Gunter, Weitz, Manfred
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3C Viral Proteases
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Cysteine Endopeptidases - pharmacology
hepatitis A virus
Hepatovirus - chemistry
Immune Sera - immunology
Molecular Sequence Data
Rabbits
Vaccinia virus - genetics
Viral Nonstructural Proteins - analysis
Viral Nonstructural Proteins - chemistry
Viral Nonstructural Proteins - immunology
Viral Proteins
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Summary:Institute for Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Frohbergstrasse 3, CH-9001 St Gallen, Switzerland The RNA genome of hepatitis A virus (HAV) encodes a giant polyprotein that is putatively cleaved proteolytically into four structural and seven non-structural proteins. So far, most of the proposed non-structural proteins and their respective cleavage sites have not been identified. A vaccinia virus recombinant (vRGORF) containing the complete HAV ORF under the control of the bacteriophage T7 promoter was used to express HAV in recombinant animal cells (BT7-H) that constitutively expressed T7 DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. A HAV-specific 27.5 kDa expression product was identified as peptide 2B. The 27.5 kDa 2B antigen was also found in HAV-infected MRC-5 cells. The N-terminal amino acid residues of the new peptide 2B are Ala-Lys-Ile-Ser-Leu-Phe and polyprotein cleavage between 2A and 2B occurred at amino acids 836–837 (Gln-Ala). Furthermore, heterologous expression in the same system of regions P1–P2 and of the protease 3C (3C pro ) gene, showed that P1–P2 polyprotein is not cleaved autocatalytically but by 3C pro . Hence, 3C pro is effective in cleaving the polyprotein 2A–2B junction. * Author for correspondence. Fax +41 71 258906. e-mail weitz@comp.bioz.unibas.ch Received 14 June 1995; accepted 18 September 1995.
ISSN:0022-1317
1465-2099
DOI:10.1099/0022-1317-77-2-247