title: Expression and properties of the V protein in acute measles virus and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus strains.
abstract: Measles virus (MV) inserts one guanosine (G) residue at a specific site in a subpopulation of the mRNA transcribed from the phosphoprotein (P) gene to produce V mRNA. Using an antiserum against the unique carboxyl-terminal region of the predicted V protein, we found that a phosphorylated V protein was expressed in two acute MV strains (Edmonston and Nagahata) and three SSPE virus strains (Biken, Yamagata, and Niigata). The V protein of Biken strain SSPE virus was electrophoretically and antigenically indistinguishable from the V protein of Nagahata strain acute MV, the likely progenitor of the Biken strain. The V protein of these two viruses was not present in the intracellular viral nucleocapsids, but was found only in the cytosolic free protein pool. Pulse-chase experiments failed to show transport of the V protein to the plasma membrane. The V protein was also absent in the extracellular virions. The P protein synthesized from the cloned gene associated with the MV nucleocapsids in vitro, but the V protein had no affinity to the MV nucleocapsids. These results suggest that expression and properties of the V protein are conserved in chronic MV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Gombart
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013190:SSPE Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; C069181:V protein, measles virus; D014764:Viral Proteins