Organization of RNA transcripts from a vaccinia virus early gene cluster

The detailed organization of the RNAs transcribed from an early gene cluster encoded by vaccinia virus has been determined from the information derived from several complementary techniques. These include hybrid selection coupled with cell-free translation to locate DNA sequences complementary to mRNAs encoding specific polypeptides; RNA filter hybridization to size and locate on the DNA mature RNAs as well as higher-molecular-weight RNAs; S1 nuclease mapping to precisely locate the 5' and 3' ends of the RNAs; S1 nuclease mapping to precisely locate the 5' and 3' ends of the RNAs; and fractionation of hybrid-selected mRNAs in an agarose gel containing methyl mercury hydroxide followed by the cell-free translation of these mRNAs to definitively ascertain the size of the mRNA encoding each polypeptide. The early gene cluster is located between 21 and 26 kilobases from the left end of the vaccinia virus genome and is encoded by a 5.0-kilobase EcoRI fragment which spans the HindIII-N, -M, and -K fragments. Transcribed towards the left terminus are four mature mRNAs, 1,450, 950, 780, and 400 nucleotides in size, encoding polypeptides of 55, 30, 20, and 10 kilodaltons, respectively. These mRNAs are colinear with the DNA template and are closely spaced such that the 5' terminus of one mRNA is within 50 base pairs of the 3' terminus of the adjacent RNA. In addition to the mature size mRNAs, there are higher-molecular-weight RNAs, 5,000, 3,300, 2,350, 2,300, 1,800, 1,700, and 1,350 nucleotides in size. The 5' and 3' termini of the high-molecular-weight RNAs are coterminal with the 5' and 3' termini of the mature size mRNA. The implications of this arrangement and the biogenesis of these early mRNAs are discussed.     

Immunochemical analysis of the products of translation of mRNA hybridized with the left HindIII-A-Sa1-fragment of vaccinia virus DNA

The left HindIII-A-Sal fragment of the vaccinia virus DNA has been analyzed by the technique of mRNA hybridizational selection with the subsequent translation in cell-free protein-synthesizing system from the rabbit reticulocytes. The viral mRNA hybridizable with the fragment was shown to direct the synthesis of 12, 17, 27, 42, 70 kD polypeptides in the cell-free protein-synthesizing system. Each of 12 and 42 kD polypeptides was demonstrated to react specifically with antisera to structural p12 and p42 coat proteins. The structural coat proteins p12, p20, p42 of the vaccinia virus are concluded to be the products of the same viral gene.     

Identification of the DNA sequences encoding the large subunit of the mRNA-capping enzyme of vaccinia virus.

The DNA sequences encoding the large subunit of the mRNA-capping enzyme of vaccinia virus were located on the viral genome. The formation of an enzyme-guanylate covalent intermediate labeled with [alpha-32P]GTP allowed the identification of the large subunit of the capping enzyme and was used to monitor the appearance of the enzyme during the infectious cycle. This assay confirmed that after vaccinia infection, a novel 84,000-molecular-weight polypeptide corresponding to the large subunit was rapidly synthesized before viral DNA replication. Hybrid-selected cell-free translation of early viral mRNA established that vaccinia virus encoded a polypeptide identical in molecular weight with the 32P-labeled 84,000-molecular-weight polypeptide found in vaccinia virions. Like the authentic capping enzyme, this virus-encoded cell-free translation product bound specifically to DNA-cellulose. A comparison of the partial proteolytic digestion fragments generated by V8 protease, chymotrypsin, and trypsin demonstrated that the 32P-labeled large subunit and the [35S]methionine-labeled cell-free translation product were identical. The mRNA encoding the large subunit of the capping enzyme was located 3.1 kilobase pairs to the left of the HindIII D restriction fragment of the vaccinia genome. Furthermore, the mRNA was determined to be 3.0 kilobases in size, and its 5' and 3' termini were precisely located by S1 nuclease analysis.     

Deletion of a 9,000-base-pair segment of the vaccinia virus genome that encodes nonessential polypeptides.

Deletions contained within the genomes of unstable and stable variants of vaccinia virus (strain WR) were analyzed. Restriction endonuclease mapping and hybridization to specific 32P-labeled DNA probes indicated that more than 6 X 10(6) daltons of DNA were deleted from the variants. In each case, the deletion occurred on the left side of the genome and started very close to the junction of the inverted terminal repetition and unique sequence. Both variants also contained a new SstI side on the right side of the genome. Hybridization selection and cell-free translation experiments indicated that these variants lost the ability to synthesize at least eight early mRNA's mapping within the deleted region. Although the deleted DNA was not essential for replication of the WR strain of vaccinia virus under laboratory conditions of infection, it presumably has a defined role under other circumstances. This conclusion was based on the conservation within the Elstree strain of vaccinia, the Utrecht strain of rabbitpox, and the Brighton strain of cowpox virus of sequences homologous to the deleted DNA. Moreover, mRNA's that hybridized to the deleted vaccinia virus DNA segment and encoded similar size polypeptides were made in cells infected with rabbitpox and cowpox viruses.     

Nucleotide sequences from the 3''-ends of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA''s as determined from cloned DNA.

Molecular clones of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA's were used to determine the 3'-terminal sequences of mRNA's encoding the N and NS proteins. This new approach to VSV mRNA sequencing allowed the first comparison of 3'-terminal sequences. The sequences showed a tetranucleotide homology, UAUG, immediately preceding the polyadenylic acid. In addition, both mRNA's had an AU-rich region including the tetranucleotide AUAU at positions 16 to 19 nucleotides from the polyadenylic acid. A possible secondary structure between the 3' end of N mRNA and the 5' end of the adjacent NS mRNA is noted. These structural features may serve as signals for termination (or cleavage) and polyadenylation of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA's. Neither mRNA had the polyadenylic acidproximal hexanucleotide, AAUAAA, found in eucaryotic cellular and viral mRNA's transcribed from nuclear DNA. The probable location of the translation termination codon for the NS protein is only six nucleotides from polyadenylic acid in NS mRNA.     

Unique species of mRNA from adenovirus type 7 early region 1 in cells transformed by adenovirus type 7 DNA fragment.

Adenovirus type 7 (Ad7) early region 1 mRNA species transcribed in rat cell lines transformed by the HindIII-I . J fragment (the left 7.8% of the viral genome) and in human KB cells infected with Ad7 were mapped on the viral genome, using S1 nuclease gel and diazobenzyloxymethyl paper hybridization techniques. At the early stage of productive infection, two mRNA's (950 and 840 nucleotides long) with the common 5' and 3' ends but different internal splicings were mapped from region 1A (map units 1.4 to 4.3), and one mRNA (2,310 nucleotides long, with the internal splicing between map units 9.9 to 10.1) was mapped from region 1B (map units 4.6 to 11.4). At the late stage, these early spliced mRNA's were also found and at least three additional Ad7 mRNA's were identified: 700-nucleotide-long mRNA in region 1A; and 1,100- and nucleotide-long mRNA's in region 1B. In transformed rat cell lines, two early region 1A mRNA's (950 and 840 nucleotides long) were also transcribed. Surprisingly, in addition, several unique Ad7 mRNA's, not found in productivity infected cells, were identified in all of the transformed cell lines. Their molecular sizes and coding sequences varied in individual cell lines. However, these mRNA's had the 5' end-proximal portion in region 1B and the 3' end-proximal portion in region 1A, these portions being transcribed by extending from region 1B to 1A on viral DNA fragments joined in a tandem array in transformed cells.     

Transcriptional and translational mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis of a vaccinia virus gene encoding the precursor of the major core polypeptide 4b

We prepared antiserum that reacted with a major core polypeptide of approximately 62,000 daltons (62K polypeptide), designated 4b, and its 74K precursor, designated P4b. A cell-free translation product of vaccinia virus late mRNA that comigrated with P4b was specifically immunoprecipitated. The late mRNA encoding P4b hybridized to restriction fragments derived from the left end of the HindIII A fragment and to a lesser extent from the right side of the HindIII D fragment. A polypeptide that comigrated with P4a, the precursor of another major core polypeptide, was synthesized by mRNA that hybridized to DNA segments upstream of the P4b gene. Complete nucleotide sequence analysis of the P4b gene revealed an open reading frame, entirely within the HindIII A fragment, that was sufficient to encode a 644-amino-acid polypeptide of 73K. The 5' end of the P4b mRNA was located at or just above the translational initiation site.     

A 100-kilodalton polypeptide encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 1b of the coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus is processed by ORF 1a products.

The genome-length mRNA (mRNA 1) of the coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) contains two large open reading frames (ORFs), 1a and 1b, with the potential to encode polypeptides of 441 and 300 kDa, respectively. The downstream ORF, ORF 1b, is expressed by a ribosomal frameshifting mechanism. In an effort to detect viral polypeptides encoded by ORF 1b in virus-infected cells, immunoprecipitations were carried out with a panel of region-specific antisera. A polypeptide of approximately 100 kDa was precipitated from IBV-infected, but not mock-infected, Vero cells by one of these antisera (V58). Antiserum V58 was raised against a bacterially expressed fusion protein containing polypeptide sequences encoded by ORF 1b nucleotides 14492 to 15520; it recognizes specifically the corresponding in vitro-synthesized target protein. A polypeptide comigrating with the 100,000-molecular-weight protein (100K protein) identified in infected cells was also detected when the IBV sequence from nucleotides 8693 to 16980 was expressed in Vero cells by using a vaccinia virus-T7 expression system. Deletion analysis revealed that the sequence encoding the C terminus of the 100K polypeptide lies close to nucleotide 15120; it may therefore be generated by proteolysis at a potential QS cleavage site encoded by nucleotides 15129 to 15135. In contrast, expression of IBV sequences from nucleotides 10752 to 16980 generated two polypeptides of approximately 62 and 235 kDa, which represent the ORF 1a stop product and the 1a-1b fused product generated by a frameshifting mechanism, respectively, but no processed products were observed. Since the putative picornavirus 3C-like proteinase domain is located in ORF 1a between nucleotides 8937 and 9357, this observation suggests that deletion of the picornavirus 3C-like proteinase domain and surrounding regions abolishes processing of the 1b polyprotein. In addition, the in vitro translation and in vivo transfection studies also indicate that the ORF 1a region between nucleotides 8763 and 10720 contains elements that down-regulate the expression of ORF 1b.     

Analysis of structural proteins and products of cell-free translation of vaccinia virus of mRNA using mono-specific antibodies

The monospecific antiserums to the major proteins p12, p19, p20, p42, p61 of the vaccinia virus coat were obtained and analyzed. The dynamics of the proteins accumulation in the infected cells has been studied. Products of the cell-free translation of the total viral mRNA precipitated by the obtained antiserums were identified. The p20 protein has been found to be a result of p12 protein reversible oligomerization under the conditions of electrophoresis. The antigenic relation of p12 and p20 proteins to a p42 protein, also a p12 oligomer, has been demonstrated. The possibility is discussed to use the obtained antiserums for mapping of the genes corresponding to structural proteins in the genome of the vaccinia virus.