title: The Lassa fever virus L gene: nucleotide sequence, comparison, and precipitation of a predicted 250 kDa protein with monospecific antiserum.
abstract: The large (L) RNA segment of Lassa fever virus (LAS) encodes a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp or L protein). Similar to other arenaviruses, the LAS L protein is encoded on the genome-complementary strand and is predicted to be 2218 amino acids in length (253 kDa). It has an unusually large non-coding region adjacent to its translation start site. The LAS L protein contains six motifs of conserved amino acids that have been found among arenavirus L proteins and core RdRp of other segmented negative-stranded (SNS) viruses (Arena-, Bunya- and Orthomyxoviridae). Phylogenetic analyses of the RdRp of 20 SNS viruses reveals that arenavirus L proteins represent a distinct cluster divided into LAS-lymphocytic choriomeningitis and Tacaribe-Pichinde virus lineages. Monospecific serum against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the most conserved central domain precipitates a 250 kDa product from LAS and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison 53706, USA.
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Lukashevich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djavani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ravkov
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Salvato
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D007836:Lassa virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral