title: Nucleotide sequence and molecular analysis of the rhesus cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene and the UL121-117 open reading frames.
abstract: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been isolated from many nonhuman primates, including rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). To better understand the molecular biology of rhesus CMV (RhCMV), a 9.2-kb DNA restriction fragment spanning the immediate-early (IE) gene has been molecularly cloned and sequenced. Open reading frames (ORF) have been identified and transcripts mapped for regions corresponding to exons 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the IE1 protein of human CMV (HCMV) and to exons 1, 2, 3, and 5 of IE2. The predicted RhCMV IE1 protein was 29 and 40% identical with the HCMV and African green monkey (AGM) CMV IE1 proteins, respectively, and the predicted RhCMV IE2 protein was 48 and 65% identical with the HCMV and AGM CMV IE2 proteins, respectively. Five additional ORF 3' to the RhCMV IE gene were identified which contained significant homologies with the HCMV UL121-UL117 ORF. The predicted translation products ranged from 29 to 47% identical with, and 52 to 66% similarity to the corresponding ORF of HCMV. Conservation of nucleic and amino acid sequences, and colinearity of genes, between primate CMV genomes contribute to a better understanding of primate CMV evolution, regulation, and pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Pathology, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Alcendor
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Power
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Luciw
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005091:Exons; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; C088645:IE1 protein, cytomegalovirus; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins