Enhancement of murine coronavirus replication by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus protein 6 requires the N-terminal hydrophobic region but not C-terminal sorting motifs.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus encodes several accessory proteins of unknown function. We previously showed that one such protein, encoded by ORF6, enhanced the growth of mouse hepatitis virus in tissue culture cells and in mice. Protein 6 consists of an N-terminal hydrophobic peptide and a C-terminal region containing intracellular protein sorting motifs. Herein, we show that mutation of the hydrophobic region but not the sorting motifs affected the ability of protein 6 to enhance virus growth. Collectively, these results support the notion that the 6 protein interacts with membrane-bound viral replication or assembly machinery to directly enhance virus replication and virulence in animals.
Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, BSB 3-712, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Jason
J
Netland
Debra
D
Ferraro
Lecia
L
Pewe
Heidi
H
Olivares
Thomas
T
Gallagher
Stanley
S
Perlman
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D018352:Coronavirus Infections; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000737:chemistry*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014779:Virus Replication
D014764:Viral Proteins