title: Characterization of tubular structures composed of nonstructural protein NS1 of African horsesickness virus expressed in insect cells.
abstract: The characteristic tubules that are produced during the orbivirus infection cycle are composed of a major viral nonstructural protein, NS1. To characterize the NS1 gene and gene product of African horsesickness virus (AHSV), a full-length cDNA copy of the NS1 gene of AHSV-6 was cloned and the nucleotide sequence determined. NS1 was highly conserved within the AHSV serogroup with between 95-98% conservation of amino acids among NS1 of AHSV-6, AHSV-4 and AHSV-9. The structure of AHSV NS1 tubules was investigated by in vitro translation of the AHSV-6 NS1 gene followed by expression of the gene in insect cells. The NS1 protein assembled in tubular structures with a diameter of approximately 23 nm and lengths of up to 4 microns. The absence of a ladder-like structure and lower sedimentation value of AHSV NS1 tubules clearly distinguished them from those of bluetongue virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Maree
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huismans
mesh_terms: D000356:African Horse Sickness Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000166:cytology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; C089209:NS1 protein, African horse sickness virus; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins