猪瘟病毒强弱毒株和野毒株E2全基因序列测定及比较分析

为了比较猪瘟病毒 (HCV)野毒株、疫苗株及标准株之间E2基因抗原区域的差异 ,采用RT PCR扩增了HCV石门株、兔化弱毒疫苗株、野毒 0 3及 0 7株的囊膜糖蛋白E2 (gp55)全基因的cDNA片段 ,分别克隆于pGEM T载体中并对其进行了核苷酸序列测定及氨基酸序列的推导 ,同时进行了同源性比较及E2结构与功能的分析。所测 4株HCVE2基因的长度均为1 2 73bp,所编码的氨基酸序列均包括部分信号肽序列和完整的跨膜区序列 ,共由 381个氨基酸组成 ;4个毒株E2蛋白N末端的 683位至 690位信号肽序列 (WLLLVTGA)和C末端 1 0 30～1 0 63位跨膜区均为保守序列 ,而且具疏水性 ;N末端抗原功能区中 ,4个E2蛋白与其它所比较序列在位于第 753位至 759位氨基酸处 ,均有一段保守序列RYLASLH ,无一氨基酸发生变异 ,为亲水性 ,在整个E2蛋白抗原谱中抗原性峰值为最高 ,推测对抗原性产生起重要作用 ;4个E2蛋白的氨基酸序列中均含有 1 5个半胱氨酸 (Cys)残基 ,其数量及位置与国外五株HCV(Brescia ,C ,Alfort.ALD和GPE)完全一致。表明…     

细菌AcrAB-TolC型外排泵中AcrA蛋白的进化分析

研究不同耐药细菌AcrAB-Tolc型外排泵中关键蛋白AcrA的序列,针对其保守及非保守氨基酸残基进行该类蛋白的进化分析,构建蛋白进化树。收集来源于不同细菌的已知序列的AcrA蛋白,去除冗余并进行序列比对之后,根据其序列比对结果的相似性、氨基酸残基的保守性研究其进化特征。结果表明,不同细菌的AcrA蛋白部分氨基酸残基具有高度的保守性,这与其实现生物学功能有关,非保守区域是主要的进化区域。可为不同菌株的进化提供参考,同时为以AcrAB-Tolc型外排泵为靶标的新药研究提供相关数据。     

大眼长蝽卵黄原蛋白基因克隆、序列分析及表达研究

旨在为研究大眼长蝽(Geoco ris pallidipennis)卵黄原蛋白(Vitellogenin,Vg)分子特性及其基因生理功能。利用RT-PCR、RACE及ELISA方法对大眼长蝽Vg基因进行克隆、序列分析和表达研究。该基因c DNA全长5 667 bp(Gen Bank登录号:KP688587),编码1 848个氨基酸残基,N-末端的前19个氨基酸为信号肽。氨基酸序列中有两个保守的多聚丝氨酸区域和RXXR酶切位点,接近C-末端有GLAG基序,其后有5个保守的半胱氨酸残基,DGYR基序位于GLAG上游18个氨基酸残基处。该基因编码氨基酸序列与其它半翅目昆虫Vg氨基酸序列相似度较高,氨基酸序列分析显示它有Vg的典型特征,表明克隆的c DNA序列是大眼长蝽的Vg基因序列。ELISA检测发现随着发育时间的延长,卵黄原蛋白表达量逐渐增加,羽化后22 d达到高峰,随后开始下降,结果表明大眼长蝽雌虫卵黄原蛋白的表达量与大眼长蝽产卵量紧密相关。     

马铃薯α-淀粉酶基因的克隆及生物信息学分析(英文)

本研究利用RT-PCR从马铃薯(Solanum tuberosum)茎段总RNA中扩增、克隆了一cDNA分子。该cDNA分子含有一长为1224bp的开放读框,可编码一含407个氨基酸残基的多肽、理论分子量为46.40kD、可能为亲水性的胞外酶。因其氨基酸序列同源于α-淀粉酶,故将该基因命名为amyA1(NCBI收录号:GQ406048.1)。采用半定量RT-PCR方法检测了amyA1基因在马铃薯茎、叶等不同组织中的表达强度,表明在茎组织中的表达丰度略高。利用生物信息学软件分析了amyA1密码子的偏好性,以期为选择适宜的表达系统提供依据;同时对amyA1的理化性质、细胞内定位、保守结构及高级结构进行了预测。基于NCBI数据库中有物种代表性的29种α-淀粉酶基因序列构建了基因进化树。与NCBI收录的马铃薯α-淀粉酶基因(NCBI收录号:M79328.1)的核苷酸及氨基酸序列同源性达98%。第20至第348范围内的氨基酸残基含有与淀粉酶13家族及亚家族相似的催化活性域(PF00128、SM00624),第349至第407范围内的氨基酸残基含有α-淀粉酶C-末端β折叠区域(PF07821)。蛋白质结构预测表明氨基酸残基序列有维持淀粉酶活性的(β/α)8桶状结构以及其它几个功能域结构。所构建的基因进化树表明,2个马铃薯α-淀粉酶基因与木薯、苹果的序列同源性较高,与菜豆的次之,与水稻、大麦和玉米等单子叶植物的序列同源性较低。     

罗非鱼胰蛋白酶ⅠmRNA克隆与分析

应用3′/5-′RACE方法对尼罗罗非鱼(Oreochromis niloticus)和奥利亚(Oreochromis aureus)罗非鱼胰蛋白酶ⅠmR-NA进行了克隆和测序,序列分析表明,尼罗罗非鱼和奥利亚罗非鱼胰蛋白酶ⅠmRNA序列全长分别为863bp和858bp,序列中均含有738个核苷酸组成的开放阅读框,编码长度为245个氨基酸残基的胰蛋白酶Ⅰ。胰蛋白酶Ⅰ氨基末端均存在信号肽和激活肽序列,序列中均具有与催化活性必须的高度保守的催化三联体氨基酸残基(His、Asp、Ser)和构成二硫键的12个半胱氨酸残基,以及决定底物特异性的保守性氨基酸残基即天冬氨酸残基和S1结合袋。南极鱼(Patanotothenia magellanica)、大西洋鲑(Salmo salar)、日本鲽(Paralichthys olivaceus)、大西洋鳕(Gadusmorhua)、牛和人类胰蛋白酶mRNA序列以及氨基酸序列与奥利亚罗非鱼相比较同源性分别为58.3%—72.5%和63.3%—76.1%,与尼罗罗非鱼相比较同源性分别为59.1%—73.1%和63.6%—75.6%。奥利亚罗非鱼和尼罗罗非鱼胰蛋白酶mRNA序列以及氨基酸序列同源性分别为96.2%和99.2%。       

甘薯茎线虫乙酰胆碱酯酶基因Dd-ace-2全长cDNA的克隆和序列分析

利用RT-PCR、RACE技术克隆了甘薯茎线虫(Ditylenchus destructor)乙酰胆碱酯酶基因(Dd-ace-2) cDNA (GenBank 登录号EF583058), 用DNAMAN5.0、MEGA3.0进行了序列分析。克隆的Dd-ace-2 基因cDNA全长2425 bp, 包含一个2205 bp的开放阅读框, 编码734个氨基酸。Dd-ace-2基因推导的氨基酸序列与南方根结线虫(Meloidogyne incognita)、秀丽小杆线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans)和动物寄生线虫胎生网尾线虫(Dictyocaulus viviparous)ace-2的氨基酸序列同源性分别达48.0%、42.7%和42.1%。在推导的734个氨基酸残基的前体蛋白中, 前面的701个氨基酸残基是成熟的乙酰胆碱酯酶序列, 其预测的分子量为79240.38 D。在一级结构中, 形成催化活性中心的3个氨基酸残基(Ser291, Glu442和His574)、胆碱结合位点Trp(177), 以及在亚基内形成二硫键的6个半胱氨酸完全保守; 在电鳐乙酰胆碱酯酶分子的催化功能域中存在14个保守的芳香族氨基酸残基, 其中10个在甘薯茎线虫乙酰胆碱酯酶中完全保守。与其它线虫和物种乙酰胆碱酯酶的聚类分析显示, 甘薯茎线虫的乙酰胆碱酯酶与其它线虫乙酰胆碱酯酶ACE-2同属一个支系。     

千里光脂肪醛脱羰基酶(CER1蛋白)的保守基序(CSM)与功能结构域分析

基于已构建的千里光全长c DNA文库,克隆其脂肪醛脱羰基酶基因(Gen Bank No.:KT895253),并进一步分析该基因所编码蛋白质(CER1蛋白)的氨基酸保守基元序列(conserved sequence motif,CSM)和蛋白质功能结构域的关系。蛋白质一级结构分析发现,千里光CER1蛋白由623个氨基酸残基组成;进化树和序列比对结果提示SH-片段和LH-片段这两个富含His的保守基元序列在不同物种中表现出高度保守性;3-D结构预测结果表明,高等植物CER1蛋白水合状态下具有高效的底物结合能力和脂肪醛脱羰基的催化效率。因此,根据脂肪醛脱羰基酶氨基酸保守基序对蛋白质功能域的决定作用,推测CER1蛋白的保守结构域是形成底物结合部位和酶催化活性中心的结构基础。     

棉铃虫幼虫中肠类胰蛋白酶基因的克隆及在大肠杆菌中的表达

根据昆虫类胰蛋白酶序列的保守性设计了一对引物,以棉铃虫（Helicoverpa armigera)幼虫中肠总RNA反转录出cDNA第一链作为模板,利用RT－PCR,分离出了一种棉铃虫类胰蛋白酶（HaT)基因的cDNA序列。分析表明该cDNA序列的开放阅读框为696bp,编码一个由231个氨基酸残基组成的多肽,推测的氨基酸序列具有His57,Asp102,Ser192组成的电荷中继网,决定胰蛋白酶底物专一性的Asp189,底物结合部位的Gly216和Gly226残基,及其它胰蛋白酶结构上的保守区域。氨基酸序列同源性比较表明：HaT同其它鳞翅目昆虫类胰蛋白酶有较高的同源性,同源性在44％－79％之间。为研究棉铃虫类胰蛋白酶基因（hat)编码产物的活性,将其插入原核表达载体pGEX4T-3和pET23b中,并在大肠杆菌中进行了诱导表达,结果表明,GST－HaT融合蛋白在大肠杆菌中进行了特异表达,非融合形式的表达产物HaT具有胰蛋白酶催化活性。     

拟南芥LEC同源基因的生物信息学分析

用生物信息学方法对拟南芥叶状子叶(LEC)基因的核苷酸序列以及推导氨基酸序列的组成、功能结构域、亲水性等进行了分析。结果表明,拟南芥的LEC蛋白为位于细胞核中的亲水性不稳定蛋白;通过对LEC蛋白的功能结构域的分析发现,LEC1和L1L蛋白中高度保守的区域即为CBF-NFYB-HMF结构域,LEC2和FUSCA3蛋白中高度保守的区域为B3结构域。     

一个陆地棉bZIP蛋白cDNA的克隆及表达分析

利用PCR筛选方法从陆地棉纤维cDNA文库中筛选到一个全长cDNA序列,命名为GhbZIP。其编码产物长度为645个氨基酸残基,序列中含有两个未知功能的保守区域DUF630和DUF632,而DUF632区中有一个类似碱性亮氨酸拉链基元;此外氨基酸序列中还存在一个富脯氨酸区和一个富苯丙氨酸区,因此该蛋白具有植物碱性亮氨酸拉链蛋白的结构特征。亲水性分析表明,GhbZIP为一个典型的膜蛋白。GhbZIP基因主要是在开花3d之后在胚珠和纤维细胞中表达,这表明该基因可能与棉纤维伸长过程中的基因表达调控有关。     

Valyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli MALDI-MS identification of the binding sites for L-valine or for noncognate amino acids upon qualitative comparative labeling with reactive amino-acid analogs.

Bromomethyl ketone derivatives of L-valine (VBMK), L-isoleucine (IBMK), L-norleucine (NleBMK) and L-phenylalanine (FBMK) were synthesized. These reagents were used for qualitative comparative labeling of Escherichia coli valyl-tRNA synthetase (ValRS), an enzyme with Val/Ile editing activity, in order to identify the binding sites for L-valine or noncognate amino acids. Labeling of E. coli ValRS with the substrate analog valyl-bromomethyl ketone (VBMK) resulted in a complete loss of valine-dependent isotopic [32P]PPi-ATP exchange activity. L-Valine protected the enzyme against inactivation. Noncognate amino acids analogs isoleucyl-, norleucyl- and phenylalanyl-bromomethyl ketones (IBMK, NleBMK and FBMK) were also capable of abolishing the activity of ValRS, FBMK being less efficient in inactivating the synthetase. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry designated cysteines 424 and 829 as the target residues of the substrate analog VBMK on E. coli ValRS, whereas, altogether, IBMK, NleBMK and FBMK labeled His266, Cys275, His282, His433 and Cys829, of which Cys275, His282 and His433 were labeled in common by all three noncognate amino-acid-derived bromomethyl ketones. With the exception of Cys829, which was most likely unspecifically labeled, the amino-acid residues labeled by the reagents derived from noncognate amino acids were distributed between two fragments 259-291 and 419-434 in the primary structure of E. coli ValRS. In fragment 419-434, Cys424 was specifically labeled by the substrate analog VBMK, while His433 was labeled in common by all the used bromomethyl ketone derivatives of noncognate amino acids, suggesting that the synthetic site where aminoacyl adenylate formation takes place on E. coli ValRS is built up of two subsites. One subsite containing Cys424 might represent the catalytic locus of the active center where specific L-valine activation takes place. The second subsite containing His433 might represent the binding site for noncognate amino acids. The fact that Cys275 and His282, fragment 259-291, were labeled by IBMK, NleBMK and FBMK, but not by the substrate analog VBMK, suggests that these residues might be located at or near the editing site of E. coli ValRS. Comparison of fragment 259-291 with all the available ValRS amino-acid sequences revealed that His282 is strictly conserved, with the exception of its replacement by a glycine in a subgroup corresponding to the archaebacteria. Because a nucleophile is needed in the editing site to achieve hydrolysis of an undesired product at the level of the carbonyl group thereof, it is proposed that the conserved His282 of E. coli ValRS is involved in editing.     

Putative reaction mechanism of heterologously expressed octopine dehydrogenase from the great scallop, Pecten maximus (L)

cDNA for octopine dehydrogenase (ODH) from the adductor muscle of the great scallop, Pecten maximus, was cloned using 5'- and 3'-RACE. The cDNA comprises an ORF of 1197 nucleotides and the deduced amino acid sequence encodes a protein of 399 amino acids. ODH was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli with a C-terminal penta His-tag. ODH-5His was purified to homogeneity using metal-chelate affinity chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. Recombinant ODH had kinetic properties similar to those of wild-type ODH isolated from the scallop's adductor muscle. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to elucidate the involvement of several amino acid residues for the reaction catalyzed by ODH. Cys148, which is conserved in all opine dehydrogenases known to date, was converted to serine or alanine, showing that this residue is not intrinsically important for catalysis. His212, Arg324 and Asp329, which are also conserved in all known opine dehydrogenase sequences, were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis. Modification of these residues revealed their importance for the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Conversion of each of these residues to alanine resulted in strong increases in K(m) and decreases in k(cat) values for pyruvate and L-arginine, but had little effect on the K(m) and k(cat) values for NADH. Assuming a similar structure for ODH compared with the only available structure of a bacterial opine dehydrogenase, these three amino acids may function as a catalytic triad in ODH similar to that found in lactate dehydrogenase or malate dehydrogenase. The carboxyl group of pyruvate is then stabilized by Arg324. In addition to orienting the substrate, His212 will act as an acid-base catalyst by donating a proton to the carbonyl group of pyruvate. The acidity of this histidine is further increased by the proximity of Asp329.     

Correlation between point mutations in NS2 and the viability and cytopathogenicity of Bovine viral diarrhea virus strain Oregon analyzed with an infectious cDNA clone

Cytopathogenicity of Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is correlated with expression of the nonstructural protein NS3, which can be generated by processing of a fusion protein termed NS2-3. For the cytopathogenic (cp) BVDV strain Oregon, NS2-3 processing is based on a set of point mutations within NS2. To analyze the correlation between NS2-3 cleavage and cytopathogenicity, a full-length cDNA clone composed of cDNA from BVDV Oregon and the utmost 5'- and 3'-terminal sequences of a published infectious BVDV clone was established. After transfection of RNA transcribed from this cDNA clone, infectious virus with similar growth characteristics to wild-type BVDV Oregon could be recovered that also exhibited a cytopathic effect. Based on this cDNA construct and published cp and noncp infectious clones, chimeric full-length cDNA clones were constructed. Analysis of the recovered viruses demonstrated that the presence of the NS2 gene of BVDV Oregon in a chimeric construct is sufficient for NS2-3 processing and a cp phenotype. Since previous studies had revealed that the amino acid serine at position 1555 of BVDV Oregon plays an important role in efficient NS2-3 cleavage, mutants of BVDV Oregon with different amino acids at this position were constructed. Some of these mutants showed NS2-3 cleavage efficiencies in the range of the wild-type sequence and allowed the recovery of viruses that behaved similarly to wild-type virus with regard to growth characteristics and cytopathogenicity. In contrast, other mutants with considerably reduced NS2-3 cleavage efficiencies propagated much more slowly and reverted to viruses expressing polyproteins with sequences allowing efficient NS2-3 cleavage. These viruses apparently induced cytopathic effects only after reversion.     

Molecular cloning and expression of the gene encoding family 19 chitinase from Streptomyces sp. J-13-3

The gene encoding chitinase from Streptomyces sp. (strain J-13-3) was cloned and its nucleotide structure was analyzed. The chitinase consisted of 298 amino acids containing a signal peptides (29 amino acids) and a mature protein (269 amino acids), and had calculated molecular mass of 31,081 Da. The calculated molecular mass (28,229 Da) of the mature protein was almost same as that of the native chitinase determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Comparison of the encoded amino acid sequences with those of other chitinases showed that J-13-3 chitinase was a member of the glycosyl-hydrolase family 19 chitinases and the mature protein had a chitin binding domain (65 amino acids) containing AKWWTQ motif and a catalytic domain (204 amino acids). The J-13-3 strain had a single chitinase gene. The chitinase (298 amino acids) with C-terminal His tag was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells. The recombinant chitinase purified from the cell extract had identical N-terminal amino acid sequence of the mature protein in spite of confirmation of the nucleotide sequence, suggesting that the signal peptide sequence is successfully cut off at the predicted site by signal peptidase from E. coli and will be a useful genetic tool in protein engineering for production of soluble recombinant protein. The optimum temperature and pH ranges of the purified chitinase were at 35-40 degrees C and 5.5-6.0, respectively. The purified chitinase hydrolyzed colloidal chitin and trimer to hexamer of N-acetylglucosamine and also inhibited the hyphal extension of Tricoderma reesei.     

The fatty acid transport protein (FATP1) is a very long chain acyl-CoA synthetase

The primary sequence of the murine fatty acid transport protein (FATP1) is very similar to the multigene family of very long chain (C20-C26) acyl-CoA synthetases. To determine if FATP1 is a long chain acyl coenzyme A synthetase, FATP1-Myc/His fusion protein was expressed in COS1 cells, and its enzymatic activity was analyzed. In addition, mutations were generated in two domains conserved in acyl-CoA synthetases: a 6- amino acid substitution into the putative active site (amino acids 249-254) generating mutant M1 and a 59-amino acid deletion into a conserved C-terminal domain (amino acids 464-523) generating mutant M2. Immunolocalization revealed that the FATP1-Myc/His forms were distributed between the COS1 cell plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. COS1 cells expressing wild type FATP1-Myc/His exhibited a 3-fold increase in the ratio of lignoceroyl-CoA synthetase activity (C24:0) to palmitoyl-CoA synthetase activity (C16:0), characteristic of very long chain acyl-CoA synthetases, whereas both mutant M1 and M2 were catalytically inactive. Detergent-solubilized FATP1-Myc/His was partially purified using nickel-based affinity chromatography and demonstrated a 10-fold increase in very long chain acyl-CoA specific activity (C24:0/C16:0). These results indicate that FATP1 is a very long chain acyl-CoA synthetase and suggest that a potential mechanism for facilitating mammalian fatty acid uptake is via esterification coupled influx.     

Structure-function relationship of bacterial prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase: functionally significant conserved regions.

The structure-function relationship of bacterial prolipoprotein diacylgyceryl transferase (LGT) Has been investigated by a comparison of the primary structures of this enzyme in phylogenetically distant bacterial species, analysis of the sequences of mutant enzymes, and specific chemical modification of the Escherichia coli enzyme. A clone containing the gene for LGT, lgt, of the gram-positive species Staphylococcus aureus was isolated by complementation of the temperature-sensitive lgt mutant of E. coli (strain SK634) defective in LGT activity. In vivo and in vitro assays for prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl modification activity indicated that the complementing clone restored the prolipoprotein modification activity in the mutant strain. Sequence determination of the insert DNA revealed an open reading frame of 837 bp encoding a protein of 279 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 31.6 kDa. S. aureus LGT showed 24% identity and 47% similarity with E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Haemophilus influenzae LGT.S. aureus LGT, while 12 amino acids shorter than the E. coli enzyme, had a hydropathic profile and a predicted pI (10.4) similar to those of the E. coli enzyme. Multiple sequence alignment among E. coli, S. typhimurium, H. influenzae, and S. aureus LGT proteins revealed regions of highly conserved amino acid sequences throughout the molecule. Three independent lgt mutant alleles from E. coli SK634, SK635, and SK636 and one lgt allele from S. typhimurium SE5221, all defective in LGT activity at the nonpermissive temperature, were cloned by PCR and sequenced. The mutant alleles were found to contain a single base alteration resulting in the substitution of a conserved amino acid. The longest set of identical amino acids without any gap was H-103-GGLIG-108 in LGT from these four microorganisms. In E. coli lgt mutant SK634, Gly-104 in this region was mutated to Ser, and the mutant organism was temperature sensitive in growth and exhibited low LGT activity in vitro. Diethylpyrocarbonate inactivated the E. coli LGT with a second-order rate constant of 18.6 M-1S-1, and the inactivation of LGT activity was reversed by hydroxylamine at pH 7. The inactivation kinetics were consistent with the modification of a single residue, His or Tyr, essential for LGT activity.     

Evaluation of the role of conserved His and Met residues among lipoxygenases by site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant human 5-lipoxygenase

The 5-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenases contain a highly conserved sequence of the form His-(X)4-His-(X)4-His-(X)17-His-(X)8-His which represents a potential binding site for non heme iron to the protein. The importance of selected amino acids within this His cluster for the activity of human 5-lipoxygenase was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis using bacteria and insect cells expression systems. After single mutation of each of the 5 His residues at positions 363, 368, 373, 391, and 400 by Ser, Cys, or Lys, measurable levels of 5-lipoxygenase activity could be recovered in Escherichia coli only for the Ser363 and Cys363 mutants, with most amino acid substitutions causing a decrease in the levels of expression of the soluble protein. In contrast, 25-80% of soluble 5-lipoxygenase activity was recovered after the replacement of several of the hydrophobic amino acids in this region: Tyr384 by Ser or Phe; Phe394 by Trp and Val375 by Ala. Met436 could be replaced by Leu with little effect on 5-lipoxygenase activity or turnover inactivation half-time. High levels of mutant 5-lipoxygenases containing a Ser residue instead of His at each of the five positions were also expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells infected with recombinant baculovirus. The specific activity (58-75% of control) and the reaction time course of the Ser363, Ser391, and Ser400 mutants were comparable with that of native 5-lipoxygenase whereas inactive proteins were obtained for the Ser368 and Ser373 mutants. These results show that His368 and His373 residues are important for 5-lipoxygenase activity and that the other conserved His363, His391, His400, and Met436 residues are not crucial for the catalytic cycle or for the mechanism of self-inactivation of 5-lipoxygenase.     

Mutational analysis of bovine viral diarrhea virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Recombinant bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) produced in insect cells has been shown to possess an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity. Our initial attempt to produce the full-length BVDV NS5B with a C-terminal hexahistidine tag in Escherichia coli failed due to the expression of insoluble products. Prompted by a recent report that removal of the C-terminal hydrophobic domain significantly improved the solubility of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B, we constructed a similar deletion of 24 amino acids at the C terminus of BVDV NS5B. The resulting fusion protein, NS5BDeltaCT24-His, was purified to homogeneity and demonstrated to direct RNA replication via both primer-dependent (elongative) and primer-independent (de novo) mechanisms. Furthermore, BVDV RdRp was found to utilize a circular single-stranded DNA as a template for RNA synthesis, suggesting that synthesis does not require ends in the template. In addition to the previously described polymerase motifs A, B, C, and D, alignments with other flavivirus sequences revealed two additional motifs, one N-terminal to motif A and one C-terminal to motif D. Extensive alanine substitutions showed that while most mutations had similar effects on both elongative and de novo RNA syntheses, some had selective effects. Finally, deletions of up to 90 amino acids from the N terminus did not significantly affect RdRp activities, whereas deletions of more than 24 amino acids at the C terminus resulted in either insoluble products or soluble proteins (DeltaCT179 and DeltaCT218) that lacked RdRp activities.