title: Evidence that the mature form of the flavivirus nonstructural protein NS1 is a dimer.
abstract: Evidence is presented which indicates that the dengue-2 virus nonstructural protein NS1 (soluble complement fixing antigen) exists in infected BHK and mosquito cell cultures as part of a stable oligomer. Identification of the dissociation products of the isolated oligomer and comparison of the number of N-linked glycans in native and denatured NS1 is consistent with the idea that the high-molecular-weight form of NS1 is a homodimer. By analyzing lysates of BHK cells infected with St. Louis encephalitis virus or Powassan virus and proteins from dengue-2 virus-infected mouse brain we have demonstrated that the appearance of the high-molecular-weight form of NS1 is a general feature of flavivirus infection. It is formed between 20 and 40 min after NS1 is synthesized and before the protein passes the Golgi apparatus. Both soluble and pelletable extracellular NS1 are also found as the high-molecular-weight form.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Randolph
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Cleaves
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stollar
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D017038:Mannosyl-Glycoprotein Endo-beta-N-Acetylglucosaminidase; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D017038:Mannosyl-Glycoprotein Endo-beta-N-Acetylglucosaminidase