title: The murine cytomegalovirus M73.5 gene, a member of a 3' co-terminal alternatively spliced gene family, encodes the gp24 virion glycoprotein.
abstract: We have identified a novel family of five 3' co-terminal transcripts in murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) arranged in a tail-to-tail orientation with respect to the MCMV glycoprotein H (gH) gene M75. They share the same exon 2 sequence but possess different exon 1 sequences. Two of these spliced transcripts (M73) encode the MCMV homolog of glycoprotein N (gN) entirely within exon 1. Two other transcripts designated M73.5 encode a previously described virion glycoprotein gp24 that shares its first 20 amino acids with gN, but which has another 64 amino acids encoded within exon 2. The fifth transcript, designated m60, has an 80-bp exon 1 near the MCMV oriLyt region 10.8 kb upstream of exon 2. Both MCMV M73.5 and m60 encode type II glycoproteins expressed at the cell surface. Their shared exon 2 coding sequences likely represent the highly conserved region of an as yet unidentified betaherpesvirus-specific glycoprotein species.
authors.affiliation: Immunology and Virology Program, Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. scals@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Scalzo
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Dallas
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.forename: Andrew S J
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mikosza
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Louise J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Lathbury
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laferté
authors.forename: Megan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Craggs
authors.forename: Lambert C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Loh
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005091:Exons; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014162:Transfection; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006023:Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins