title: Sequence similarity between Borna disease virus p40 and a duplicated domain within the paramyxovirus and rhabdovirus polymerase proteins.
abstract: We report the sequence of a Borna disease virus clone (pBDV-40) that encodes a 40-kDa protein (p40) found in the nuclei of infected cells. Comparative sequence analysis indicates that p40 is distantly similar to two different regions in the L-polymerase proteins encoded by paramyxoviruses and rhabdoviruses. The p40 sequence similarity indicates a previously undetected duplication in these viral polymerases. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that the gene that encodes p40 last shared a common ancestor with these viral polymerase genes prior to the duplication event. These findings support the hypothesis that Borna disease virus is a negative-strand RNA virus and suggest that p40 is involved in transcription and/or replication. The discovery of a duplication within the polymerase proteins of paramyxoviruses and rhabdoviruses has profound implications for the mapping of enzymatic activities within these multifunctional proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine 92717.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Hatalski
authors.forename: W I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Lipkin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001891:Borna disease virus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D002474:Cell-Free System; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010252:Paramyxoviridae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; C077347:p40 protein, Borna disease virus