title: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus protein 6 is required for optimal replication.
abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) encodes several accessory proteins of unknown function. One of these proteins, protein 6 (p6), which is encoded by ORF6, enhances virus replication when introduced into a heterologous murine coronavirus (mouse hepatitis virus [MHV]) but is not essential for optimal SARS-CoV replication after infection at a relatively high multiplicity of infection (MOI). Here, we reconcile these apparently conflicting results by showing that p6 enhances SARS-CoV replication to nearly the same extent as when expressed in the context of MHV if cells are infected at a low MOI and accelerates disease in mice transgenic for the human SARS-CoV receptor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Jincun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falcón
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Netland
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Enjuanes
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pérez Breña
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perlman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000378:metabolism; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D011991:Receptors, Virus; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; C494080:Stat1 protein, mouse; D014764:Viral Proteins; C507223:protein 6, SARS virus; D007371:Interferon-gamma