title: The M protein of SARS-CoV: basic structural and immunological properties.
abstract: We studied structural and immunological properties of the SARS-CoV M (membrane) protein, based on comparative analyses of sequence features, phylogenetic investigation, and experimental results. The M protein is predicted to contain a triple-spanning transmembrane (TM) region, a single N-glycosylation site near its N-terminus that is in the exterior of the virion, and a long C-terminal region in the interior. The M protein harbors a higher substitution rate (0.6% correlated to its size) among viral open reading frames (ORFs) from published data. The four substitutions detected in the M protein, which cause non-synonymous changes, can be classified into three types. One of them results in changes of pI (isoelectric point) and charge, affecting antigenicity. The second changes hydrophobicity of the TM region, and the third one relates to hydrophilicity of the interior structure. Phylogenetic tree building based on the variations of the M protein appears to support the non-human origin of SARS-CoV. To investigate its immunogenicity, we synthesized eight oligopeptides covering 69.2% of the entire ORF and screened them by using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) with sera from SARS patients. The results confirmed our predictions on antigenic sites.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101300, China.
authors.forename: Yongwu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yujun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xiangjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiaoqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Siqi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huanming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D000086862:Coronavirus M Proteins; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007118:Immunoassay; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000086862:Coronavirus M Proteins; C000706237:M protein, SARS-CoV; D009842:Oligopeptides; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins