title: Identification of the murine Mx2 gene: interferon-induced expression of the Mx2 protein from the feral mouse gene confers resistance to vesicular stomatitis virus.
abstract: The mouse genome contains two related interferon-regulated genes, Mx1 and Mx2. Whereas Mx1 codes for the nuclear 72-kDa protein that interferes with influenza virus replication after interferon treatment, the Mx2 gene is nonfunctional in all laboratory mouse strains examined, since its open reading frame (ORF) is interrupted by an insertional mutation and a subsequent frameshift mutation. In the present study, we demonstrate that Mx2 mRNA of cells from feral mouse strains NJL (Mus musculus musculus) and SPR (Mus spretus) differs from that of the laboratory mouse strains tested. The Mx2 mRNA of the feral strains contains a single long ORF consisting of 656 amino acids. We further show that Mx2 protein in the feral strains is expressed upon interferon treatment and localizes to the cytoplasm much like the rat Mx2 protein, which inhibits vesicular stomatitis virus replication. Furthermore, transfected 3T3 cell lines of laboratory mouse origin expressing Mx2 from feral strains acquire slight resistance to vesicular stomatitis virus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Animal Science, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kon
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Haller
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D007372:Interferons / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D064547:Myxovirus Resistance Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D018353:Rhabdoviridae Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014162:Transfection; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C579070:Mx1 protein, mouse; C579069:Mx1 protein, rat; C579067:Mx2 protein, mouse; C579066:Mx2 protein, rat; D064547:Myxovirus Resistance Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007372:Interferons; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins