title: White spot syndrome virus Orf514 encodes a bona fide DNA polymerase.
abstract: White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the causative agent of white spot syndrome, one of the most devastating diseases in shrimp aquaculture. The genome of WSSV includes a gene that encodes a putative family B DNA polymerase (ORF514), which is 16% identical in amino acid sequence to the Herpes virus 1 DNA polymerase. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the activity of the WSSV ORF514-encoded protein as a DNA polymerase and hence a putative antiviral target. A 3.5 kbp fragment encoding the conserved polymerase and exonuclease domains of ORF514 was overexpressed in bacteria. The recombinant protein showed polymerase activity but with very low level of processivity. Molecular modeling of the catalytic protein core encoded in ORF514 revealed a canonical polymerase fold. Amino acid sequence alignments of ORF514 indicate the presence of a putative PIP box, suggesting that the encoded putative DNA polymerase may use a host processivity factor for optimal activity. We postulate that WSSV ORF514 encodes a bona fide DNA polymerase that requires accessory proteins for activity and maybe target for drugs or compounds that inhibit viral DNA replication.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C., Carretera a Ejido La Victoria Km 0.6, Apartado Postal 1735, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000, Mexico.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de-la-Re-Vega
authors.forename: Karina D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Garcia-Orozco
authors.forename: Aldo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Arvizu-Flores
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yepiz-Plascencia
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhlia-Almazan
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Luis G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Brieba
authors.forename: Rogerio R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Sotelo-Mundo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D046848:White spot syndrome virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase