title: The cleavage activities of aphthovirus and cardiovirus 2A proteins.
abstract: The primary 2A/2B polyprotein cleavage of aphtho-and cardioviruses is mediated by their 2A proteins cleaving C-terminally. Whilst the aphthovirus 2A region is only 16 aa (possibly 18 aa) long, the cardiovirus 2A protein is some 150 aa. We have previously shown that foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2A is able to mediate cleavage in an artificial (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase/FMDV 2A/beta-glucuronidase [CAT-2A-GUS]) polyprotein system devoid of any other FMDV sequences with high (approximately 85%), although not complete, cleavage. In this paper we show that insertion of upstream FMDV capsid protein 1 D sequences increases the activity. In addition, we have demonstrated that the cardiovirus Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus(TME) 2A protein, when linked to GUS in a single ORF, is able to cleave at its own C terminus with high efficiency--if not completely. The C-terminal 19 aa of TME 2A, together with the N-terminal proline residue of protein 2B, were inserted into the CAT/GUS artificial polyprotein system (in a single ORF). This recombinant [CAT-deltaTME2A-GUS] polyprotein was able to mediate cleavage with high (approximately 85%) efficiency--directly comparable to the activity observed when FMDV 2A was inserted. A similar insertion into [CAT-GUS] of the C-terminal 19 aa of the cardiovirus encephalomyocarditis virus (EMC) 2A, together with the N-terminal proline residue of protein 2B, produced a [CAT-delta EMC2A-GUS] polyprotein which also mediated cleavage at approximately 85%. Analysis of the products of expression of these artificial polyproteins in a prokaryotic translation system did not, apparently, reveal any GUS cleavage product.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, UK.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monaghan
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005537:Aphthovirus / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017943:Cardiovirus / Q000378:metabolism; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017931:DNA Primers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011817:Rabbits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C057421:virus protein 2A; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase