title: Multigene families in African swine fever virus: family 110.
abstract: The genome of African swine fever virus was screened for the existence of repetitive sequences by hybridization between different cloned restriction fragments covering the viral DNA. Several sets of repeated sequences were detected in fragments located close to the DNA ends. One of these groups of repetitions involved fragments located at both ends of the genome. The remaining groups involved fragments that were located exclusively at the left end. The sequence of a 3.2-kilobase segment spanning from 7.5 to 11 kilobases from the left DNA end, which showed a complex pattern of cross-hybridizations, was determined. Two short and three long blocks of direct repeated sequences were found in this DNA region, which accounted for the hybridization results. The repeated sequences formed a family of five homologous genes with an average length of 116 codons (multigene family 110), one of which had a dimeric structure. Transcripts of the five members of the family were detected both in RNA synthesized in vitro by purified African swine fever virions and in RNA isolated at early times after infection. Comparison of the predicted protein sequences revealed a striking conservation of a cysteine-rich domain in the central part of the proteins. In addition, a highly hydrophobic NH2-terminal sequence present in all the proteins suggests that these proteins are processed through the endoplasmic reticulum.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-UAM, Facultad de Ciencias, Universida Autónoma, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Almendral
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Almazán
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blasco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viñuela
mesh_terms: D000358:African Swine Fever Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D007497:Iridoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins