title: A vibriophage, KVP40, with major capsid protein homologous to gp23* of coliphage T4.
abstract: The mcp gene encoding the major capsid protein (Mcp) of vibriophage KVP40, a large-tailed DNA phage, was cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the mcp gene was 64.4% similar to that of gene 23 of coliphage T4. Analysis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of purified native Mcp revealed that the mcp gene actually coded for a precursor, pro-Mcp, whose 62 N-terminal amino acids must be removed upon maturation to Mcp. Thus, mature Mcp would consist of 452 amino acid residues and have a calculated molecular mass of 47,561 Da. Comparison of amino acid sequences of Mcp and gp23*, the major capsid protein of T4, demonstrated 61.8% identity and 89.7% similarity between them. In addition, a sequence, TATAAATA, identical to a typical T4 late promoter sequence was seen in the region upstream of the mcp gene. These findings, together with their morphological similarity, suggest that KVP40 and T4 are phylogenetically related.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kochi Medical School, Japan. matuzaki@kochi-ms.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014733:Vibrio / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; C064517:gp23 protein, Bacteriophage T4; C111738:major capsid protein, vibriophage KVP40