Primary and secondary structure of black beetle virus RNA2, the genomic messenger for BBV coat protein precursor.

The nucleotide sequence of black beetle virion (BBV) RNA2 has been determined. RNA2 is 1399 b long. Its 5' terminus is capped. Its 3' terminus has an unidentified moiety that renders the RNA resistent to polyadenylation and ligation. The first AUG codon at base 23 is followed by an open reading frame for a protein 407 amino acids long, the predicted size of coat protein precursor. A second open reading frame for a putative protein 72 amino acid residues long begins at base 1110. No other large open reading frames exist. The 5' half of the RNA can be folded into a long, imperfect hairpin of high predicted stability. The 3' half of the RNA can fold into a complex set of multiply bifurcated stem and loop regions.     

Nucleotide sequence and genome organization of foot-and-mouth disease virus.

A continuous 7802 nucleotide sequence spanning the 94% of foot and mouth disease virus RNA between the 5'-proximal poly(C) tract and the 3'-terminal poly(A) was obtained from cloned cDNA, and the total size of the RNA genome was corrected to 8450 nucleotides. A long open reading frame was identified within this sequence starting about 1300 bases from the 5' end of the RNA genome and extending to a termination codon 92 bases from its polyadenylated 3' end. The protein sequence of 2332 amino acids deduced from this coding sequence was correlated with the 260 K FMDV polyprotein. Its processing sites and twelve mature viral proteins were inferred from protein data, available for some proteins, a predicted cleavage specificity of an FMDV encoded protease for Glu/Gly(Thr, Ser) linkages, and homologies to related proteins from poliovirus. In addition, a short unlinked reading frame of 92 codons has been identified by sequence homology to the polyprotein initiation signal and by in vitro translation studies.     

The nucleotide sequence of tobacco rattle virus RNA-2 (CAM strain).

The nucleotide sequence of the smaller genomic strand (RNA-2) of the bipartite tobacco rattle virus (CAM strain) has been determined. RNA-2 is capped at the 5' terminus and contains 1799 nucleotide residues. There is a single 223 codon long open reading frame extending from nucleotide 574 to 1242 which designates a protein of Mr 23,654. The derived amino acid composition, in percent, matches that previously determined for the virus capsid protein. The long open reading frame is flanked by 5' and 3' untranslated regions of 573 and 554 nucleotides, respectively. The 5' leader sequence contains two different sets of direct repeats, one of 119 nucleotides and the other of 76. It also contains 13 apparently unused AUG codons, four of which lie in the same frame as the capsid protein cistron. The 3' terminal sequence of RNA-2 is identical to that of the larger genomic strand (RNA-1) for 459 nucleotides.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of the nonstructural protein genes of Semliki Forest virus.

The nucleotide sequence coding for the nonstructural proteins of Semliki Forest virus has been determined from cDNA clones. The total length of this region is 7381 nucleotides, it contains an open reading frame starting at position 86 and ending at an UAA stop codon at position 7379-7381. This open reading frame codes for a 2431 amino acids long polyprotein, from which the individual nonstructural proteins are formed by proteolytic processing steps, so that nsPl is 537, nsP2 798, nsP3 482 and nsP4 614 amino acids. In the closely related Sindbis and Middelburg viruses there is an opal stop codon (UGA) between the genes for nsP3 and nsP4. Interestingly, no stop codon is found in frame in this region of the Semliki Forest virus 42S RNA. In other aspects the amino acid sequence homology between Sindbis, Middelburg and Semliki Forest virus nonstructural proteins is highly significant.     

The nucleotide sequence of tobacco vein mottling virus RNA.

The nucleotide sequence of the RNA of tobacco vein mottling virus, a member of the potyvirus group, was determined. The RNA was found to be 9471 residues in length, excluding a 3'-terminal poly(A) tail. The first three AUG codons from the 5'-terminus were followed by in-frame termination codons. The fourth, at position 206, was the beginning of an open reading frame of 9015 residues which could encode a polyprotein of 340 kDa. No other long open reading frames were present in the sequence or its complement. This AUG was present in the sequence AGGCCAUG, which is similar to the consensus initiation sequence shared by most eukaryotic mRNAs. The chemically-determined amino acid compositions of the helper component and coat proteins were similar to those predicted from the nucleotide sequence. Amino acid sequencing of coat protein from which an amino-terminal peptide had been removed allowed exact location of the coat protein cistron. A consensus sequence of V-(R or K)-F-Q was found on the N-terminal sides of proposed cleavage sites for proteolytic processing of the polyprotein.     

Genetic variation occurring on the genome of an in vitro insertion mutant of poliovirus type 1.

An insertion sequence of 72 nucleotides prepared from a polylinker sequence of plasmid pUC18 was introduced at nucleotide position 702 of the 5' noncoding sequence (742 nucleotides long) of the genome of the Sabin strain of poliovirus type 1 by using an infectious cDNA clone of the virus strain. The insertion mutant thus obtained showed a small-plaque phenotype compared with that of the parent virus. Apparent revertants (large-plaque variants) were easily generated from the insertion mutant. Nucleotide sequence analysis was performed on the revertant genomes to determine the mutation(s) by which the plaque size of the parent virus was regained. Some large-plaque variants lacked genomic sequences including all or a part of the insertion sequence. A computer-aided search for secondary structures with respect to the deletion sites detected possible supporting sequences which provided fairly stable secondary structures at the deletion sites. This result was consistent with our supporting sequence-loop model which had been proposed as a new copy-choice model for the generation of genetic rearrangements occurring on single-stranded RNA genomes (S. Kuge, I. Saito, and A. Nomoto, J. Mol. Biol. 192:473-487, 1986). The other large-plaque variants had point mutations at any one of three positions of an AUG existing in the insertion sequence. A small-plaque phenotype was observed when an AUG codon was inserted in frame or out of frame with regard to the initiation site of viral polyprotein synthesis. Our data strongly suggest that an AUG sequence in this genome region is deleterious for efficient poliovirus replication.     

The complete nucleotide sequence of the RNA coding for the primary translation product of foot and mouth disease virus.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the coding region of foot and mouth disease virus RNA (strain A1061) is presented. The sequence extends from the primary initiation site, approximately 1200 nucleotide from the 5' end of the genome, in an open translational reading frame of 6,999 nucleotides to a termination codon 93 nucleotides from the 3' terminal poly (A). Available amino acid sequence data correlates with that predicted from the nucleotide sequence. The amino acid sequence around cleavage sites in the polyprotein shows no consistency, although a number of the virus-coded protease cleavage sites are between glutamate and glycine residues.     

The complete nucleotide sequence of a common cold virus: human rhinovirus 14.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the single-stranded RNA genome of human rhinovirus 14, one of the causative agents of the common cold, has been determined from cDNA cloned in E. coli. The genome is typical of the picornaviridae family, comprising a 5' non-coding region of 624 nucleotides, a long open reading frame of 6537 nucleotides (90.8% of the genome) and a 3' non-coding region of 47 nucleotides. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence and the predicted amino acid sequence with those of the polioviruses reveals a surprising degree of homology which may allow recognition of regions of antigenic importance and prediction of the virus polyprotein cleavage sites. The results presented here imply a closer genetic relationship between the rhinovirus and enterovirus genera than previously suspected.     

Characterization of the complete genome segments from BmCPV-SZ, a novel Bombyx mori cypovirus 1 isolate

A novel Bombyx mori cypovirus 1 isolated from infected silkworm larvae and tentatively assigned as Bombyx mori cypovirus 1 isolate Suzhou (BmCPV-SZ). The complete nucleotide sequences of genomic segments S1-S10 from BmCPV-SZ were determined. All segments possessed a single open reading frame; however, bioinformatic evidence suggested a short overlapping coding sequence in S1. Each BmCPV-SZ segment possessed the conserved terminal sequences AGUAA and GUUAGCC at the 5' and 3' ends, respectively. The conserved A/G at the -3 position in relation to the AUG codon could be found in the BmCPV-SZ genome, and it was postulated that this conserved A/G may be the most important nucleotide for efficient translation initiation in cypoviruses (CPVs). Examination of the putative amino acid sequences encoded by BmCPV-SZ revealed some characteristic motifs. Homology searches showed that viral structural proteins VP1, VP3, and VP4 had localized homologies with proteins of Rice ragged stunt virus , a member of the genus Oryzavirus within the family Reoviridae. A phylogenetic tree based on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase sequences demonstrated that CPV is more closely related to Rice ragged stunt virus and Aedes pseudoscutellaris reovirus than to other members of Reoviridae, suggesting that they may have originated from common ancestors.     

Effect of mutations downstream of the internal ribosome entry site on initiation of poliovirus protein synthesis.

Initiation of poliovirus translation is mediated by a large, structured segment of the 5' nontranslated region known as the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and normally occurs 155 nucleotides (nt) downstream of the IRES at AUG743 (the AUG at nucleotide 743). Functional AUG codons introduced at nt 611 or 614 reduced initiation at AUG743 by 10 to 40% in vitro but had no effect on virus phenotype. To investigate the role of the nt 586-743 spacer in greater detail, four intervening termination codons were removed, and an additional AUG triplet at nt 683 was introduced by nucleotide substitution. Initiation at AUG743 was reduced by only 50 to 80%, depending on the number of upstream initiation codons. Initiation at AUG743 was also reduced following insertion of a stable hairpin at nt 630, but the reduction was modest in an ascites carcinoma cell extract. Initiation was more frequent at AUG743 than at AUG683 if mRNAs contained either an upstream initiation codon or the stable hairpin. These results suggested that not all initiation events at AUG743 can be accounted for by a scanning-dependent mechanism. Translation of bicistronic mRNAs in which the intercistronic spacer contained nt 630 to 742 of the poliovirus 5' nontranslated region indicated that these residues are not able to act as an entry point for ribosomes independently of the IRES. Insertion of increasingly longer sequences immediately downstream of the stable hairpin progressively reduced initiation at AUG743 without affecting initiation at AUG683. These results are discussed in terms of a model for initiation of poliovirus translation in which a complex RNA superstructure upstream of nt 586 promotes ribosome binding at an entry point determined by specific downstream cis-acting elements.     

Translation of the F protein of hepatitis C virus is initiated at a non-AUG codon in a +1 reading frame relative to the polyprotein

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) followed by a large open reading frame coding for a polyprotein that is cleaved into 10 proteins. An additional HCV protein, the F protein, was recently suggested to result from a +1 frameshift by a minority of ribosomes that initiated translation at the HCV AUG initiator codon of the polyprotein. In the present study, we reassessed the mechanism accounting for the synthesis of the F protein by measuring the expression in cultured cells of a luciferase reporter gene with an insertion encompassing the IRES plus the beginning of the HCV-coding region preceding the luciferase-coding sequence. The insertion was such that luciferase expression was either in the +1 reading frame relative to the HCV AUG initiator codon, mimicking the expression of the F protein, or in-frame with this AUG, mimicking the expression of the polyprotein. Introduction of a stop codon at various positions in-frame with the AUG initiator codon and substitution of this AUG with UAC inhibited luciferase expression in the 0 reading frame but not in the +1 reading frame, ruling out that the synthesis of the F protein results from a +1 frameshift. Introduction of a stop codon at various positions in the +1 reading frame identified the codon overlapping codon 26 of the polyprotein in the +1 reading frame as the translation start site for the F protein. This codon 26(+1) is either GUG or GCG in the viral variants. Expression of the F protein strongly increased when codon 26(+1) was replaced with AUG, or when its context was mutated into an optimal Kozak context, but was severely decreased in the presence of low concentrations of edeine. These observations are consistent with a Met-tRNA_i-dependent initiation of translation at a non-AUG codon for the synthesis of the F protein.     

Translation of the minor capsid protein of a calicivirus is initiated by a novel termination-dependent reinitiation mechanism

Caliciviruses represent a family of positive strand RNA viruses responsible for a variety of syndromes in man and animals. VP10, a minor structural protein of the calicivirus rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, is encoded in the small 3'-terminal open reading frame (ORF) 2 and is translated with an efficiency of approximately 20% of the preceding ORF1. The presence of the ORF1 termination codon is crucial for VP10 expression. Translation of VP10 starts at an AUG codon located at positions -5 to -3 of the ORF1 termination codon. However, VP10 was also expressed in the absence of an AUG initiation codon. The majority of ORF1 could be deleted or replaced by different sequences without significant influence on VP10 expression as long as translation terminated at the given position. The RNA sequence of the 3'-terminal 84 nucleotides of ORF1 but not the encoded peptide was found to be crucial for VP10 expression. In contrast, nearly the entire ORF2 could be replaced by a foreign sequence without abrogation of its translation. Accordingly, VP10 is expressed in a translation termination/reinitiation process that is particular because it is independent of an AUG translational start codon and requires the presence of a sequence element upstream of the initiation site.     

Human rhinovirus 2: complete nucleotide sequence and proteolytic processing signals in the capsid protein region.

cDNA clones representing the entire genome of human rhinovirus 2 have been obtained and used to determine the complete nucleotide sequence. The genome consists of 7102 nucleotides and possesses a long open reading frame of 6450 nucleotides; this reading frame is initiated 611 nucleotides from the 5' end and stops 42 nucleotides from the polyA tract. The N-terminal sequences of three of the viral capsid proteins have been elucidated, thus defining the positions of three cleavage sites on the polyprotein. The extensive amino acid sequence homology with poliovirus and human rhinovirus 14 enabled the other cleavage sites to be predicted. Cleavages in the 3' half of the molecule appear to take place predominantly at Gln-Gly pairs, whereas those in the 5' half (including the capsid proteins) are more heterogeneous.     

Primary structure and gene organization of the middle-component RNA of cowpea mosaic virus

Middle component RNA (M RNA) of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) was transcribed into cDNA and double-stranded cDNA was inserted into the EcoRI site of plasmid pBRH2. The nucleotide sequence of inserts was determined, after subcloning in bacteriophages M13mp7, M13mp8 or M13mp9, by the dideoxy chain termination method. The complete sequence of CPMV M RNA, up to the poly(A) tail, is 3481 nucleotides long. The sequence contains a long open reading frame starting at nucleotide 161 from the 5' terminus and continuing to 180 nucleotides from the 3' terminus. The sequence does not contain a polyadenylation signal for the poly(A) tail at the 3' end of CPMV RNA. The initiation site at position 161 together with AUG codons in the same reading frame at positions 512 and/or 524 account for the two large colinear precursor polypeptides translated in vitro from M RNA. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence suggests that both precursor polypeptides are proteolytically cleaved at glutaminyl-methionine and glutaminyl-glycine, respectively, to produce the two viral capsid proteins.     

Synthesis in vitro of a seven amino acid peptide encoded in the leader RNA of Rous sarcoma virus

Sequences of avian retroviral RNAs suggest that short open reading frames in the putatively untranslated leader sequences might direct the synthesis of small peptides. Previous analyses indicate that translation of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) RNA in vitro faithfully reflects translation of the viral RNA in the chick cell. Accordingly, we sought to determine if the heptapeptide LP1, encoded in the open reading frame closest to the 5' end of RSV RNA, could be synthesized in vitro since this would strongly suggest that it might also be synthesized in vivo. Here we confirm that RSV RNA directs the synthesis of LP1 in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. LP1 is rapidly degraded in the lysate by an aminopeptidase activity. On the basis of the following observations, we propose that the open reading frame encoding LP1 plays a role in the life cycle of avian retroviruses. The LP1 open reading frame is ubiquitous with respect to position and length in 12 strains of avian retrovirus. In the amino acid sequences of the 12 strains, only three of the seven residues are invariant. On the basis of the conservation of the -3 and +4 nucleotides flanking the AUG codon, the strengths of initiation for translation of LP1 are approximately the same in the different viruses. The LP1 open reading frame is positioned in front of sites on retrovirus RNA that are required for initiation of cDNA synthesis and for packaging of the RNA into mature virus.