Completion of the Lassa fever virus sequence and identification of a RING finger open reading frame at the L RNA 5' End.
Lassa (LAS) fever virus is a highly pathogenic arenavirus with large (L) and small (S) RNA genomic segments. The 5' end of the LAS L segment is described here, thereby completing the sequence of the most virulent arenavirus analyzed to date. In keeping with the ambisense gene structure of the arenaviruses, the LAS L RNA encodes a 250-kDa protein and an 11-kDa protein in opposite senses with respect to each other. The 11-kDa protein, defined previously in arenaviruses lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), Tacaribe (TAC), and Pichinde (PIC), contains a RING type of zinc-binding structure. Expression of the 11-kDa protein in LAS virus-infected cells has been confirmed by binding to peptide-specific antibody.
Djavani
M
M
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
Lukashevich
I S
IS
Sanchez
A
A
Nichol
S T
ST
Salvato
M S
MS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007836:Lassa virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014709:Vero Cells; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral