title: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is typically characterized by alterations in the fusion protein cytoplasmic domain of the persisting measles virus.
abstract: Our recent extensive analysis of three cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) revealed intriguing genetic defects in the persisting measles virus (MV): the fusion (F) genes encoded truncated cytoplasmic F protein domains (Cattaneo et al., Virology 173, 415-425, 1989). Now this MV genomic region has been investigated in eight additional SSPE cases by PCR amplification, replacement cloning into a vector containing the F gene of a lytic MV, in vitro expression, and sequencing. In all cases at least part of the clones showed mutations leading to F protein truncations, elongation, or nonconservative amino acid replacements. It is proposed that alteration of the F protein cytoplasmic domain may play a critical role in the development of SSPE.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Molekularbiologie I, Universität Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spielhofer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baczko
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: ter Meulen
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Billeter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm; D006801:Humans; D008459:Measles virus / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins