title: Enhancement of aquareovirus infectivity by treatment with proteases: mechanism of action.
abstract: The effects of protease digestion on the polypeptide composition and on the infectivity of striped bass virus, an aquareovirus, were examined. Both trypsin and chymotrypsin enhanced the infectivity of the virus. Enhancement of infectivity was correlated with the digestion of the outer capsid protein, VP7. These studies support the assertion that VP7 is the outermost capsid protein and suggest that VP4 and VP5 are exposed on the outer surface of infectious particles. The possible role of VP7 in the variation in virulence observed among aquareovirus isolates is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19141, USA.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: McPhillips
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dinan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Samal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012474:Salmon; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D014357:Trypsin