title: Vaccinia virus encodes a secretory polypeptide structurally related to complement control proteins.
abstract: Several polypeptides are secreted into the medium of cells infected with vaccinia virus, a cytoplasmic DNA virus belonging to the poxvirus family. One of these, a polypeptide of relative molecular mass 19,000 is structurally related to epidermal growth factor and binds to epidermal growth factor receptor stimulating proliferation of uninfected cells in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that a second, and much more abundant secretory polypeptide, is also encoded by vaccinia virus and is structurally related to the superfamily of complement control proteins. Members of this family can block complement-mediated induction of the inflammatory response, and engulfment, killing and lysis of bacteria and viruses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kotwal
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003169:Complement Inactivator Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000235:genetics*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003169:Complement Inactivator Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins