title: Bovine coronavirus nucleocapsid protein processing and assembly.
abstract: The coronavirus nucleocapsid protein (N) encapsidates the genomic RNA to form a helical nucleocapsid. The requirements for coronavirus nucleocapsid assembly are being studied. Two forms (approximately 50 kDa and 55 kDa) of the bovine coronavirus (BCV) N protein were detected in infected cells. However, only one form, a 50 kDa species, was detected in extracellular virions. After treatment with calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (CIAP), the 55 kDa intracellular form increased in mobility to comigrate with the 50 kDa form; whereas, the 50 kDa intracellular species and N from extracellular virions was not sensitive to CIAP treatment. The data indicate that specificity exists with regard to assembly of N into the mature virion. The data suggests that processing of N may take place during assembly of either nucleocapsids or virions and that the processing may be a dephosphorylation event.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Hogue
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002213:Capsid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D017938:Coronavirus, Bovine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006224:Cricetinae; D007422:Intestines / Q000201:enzymology; D007668:Kidney; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014771:Virion / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase