title: Human cytomegalovirus open reading frame UL11 encodes a highly polymorphic protein expressed on the infected cell surface.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) open reading frame (ORF) UL11 locates within a polymorphic region of the viral genome identified previously by a restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism. We report here that ORF UL11 encodes a polymorphic protein expressed on the surface of HCMV-infected cells. First, we determined the nucleotide sequence of ORF UL11 from ten strains and compared it among the strains. Out of 205 amino acids consisting of the predicted N-terminal region beside the putative transmembrane stretch in strain AD169, 88 residues were divergent on more than one strain. In contrast, the predicted C-terminal side including the putative transmembrane domain was identical at the amino acid sequence level. In addition, the number and location of predicted cysteine residues were also conserved. Next, we screened a cDNA library from HCMV-infected cells and obtained a cDNA clone containing the full-length ORF UL11. Finally, we identified the gene product of UL11 on the surface of HCMV-infected cells by FACS analysis with polyclonal antibodies generated against a glutathione S-transferase/UL11 fusion protein. The fusion protein contained a region within the N-terminal side next to the predicted transmembrane stretch. These results indicate that the N-terminal side of UL11 protein containing variable amino acid residues protrudes from the infected cell surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hitomi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kozuka-Hata
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C073414:UL11 protein, herpesviridae; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins