title: Multiple alignment comparison of the non-structural genes of three strains of equine influenza viruses (H3N8) isolated in Morocco.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three equine influenza viruses, A/equine/Nador/1/1997(H3N8), A/equine/Essaouira/2/2004(H3N8), and A/equine/Essaouira/3/2004(H3N8), were isolated from different Equidae during local respiratory disease outbreaks in Morocco in 1997 and 2004. Their non-structural (NS) genes were amplified and sequenced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show high homology of NS nucleotide sequences of A/equine/Nador/1/1997 with European strains (i.e., A/equine/newmarket/2/93 and A/equine/Grobois/1/1998) and clustered into the European lineage. However, NS gene of A/equine/Essaouira/2/2004(H3N8) and A/equine/Essaouira/3/2004(H3N8) strains indicated high homology with equine influenza strains that had circulated before 1990 (A/equine/Fontainbleu/1/1979(H3N8), which belonged to a pre-divergent phase Amino acid sequence comparison of the NS1 protein with reference strain A/equine/Miami/1963(H3N8) shows that the A/equine/Nador/1/1997(H3N8) strain has 12 substitutions at the residues D/24/N, R/44/K, S/48/I, R/67/Q, A/86/V, E/139/K, A/112/T, E/186/K, L/185/F, A/223/E, S/213/T and S/228/P. In both A/equine/Essaouira/2/2004(H3N8) and A/equine/Essaouira/3/2004(H3N8) strains, the NS1 sequences present one common mutation at the residue: S/228/P.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that all of these substitutions are not produced at the key residues of the RNA-binding domain (RBD) and the effector domain (ED). Consequently, we can suppose that they will not affect the potency of inhibition of cellular defences, and the virulence of the Moroccan equine strains will be maintained.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology, Microbiology and Quality/ETB, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Mohammedia, University Hassan II Mohammedia-Casablanca, PO BOX 146, Quartier Yasmina, Mohammedia, 20650, Morocco. mb.vete@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boukharta
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Instruction Military Hospital Med V Rabat, University Mohammed V Souissi, Rabat, Morocco. sazelmat@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Souad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azlmat
authors.affiliation: Society of Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Products, Virology Laboratory, Av Hassan II, BP 4569, Rabat, Morocco. elharrak_m@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elharrak
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology, Microbiology and Quality/ETB, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Mohammedia, University Hassan II Mohammedia-Casablanca, PO BOX 146, Quartier Yasmina, Mohammedia, 20650, Morocco. m.ennaji@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: My Mustapha
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ennaji
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006736:Horses; D053123:Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C085820:INS1 protein, influenza virus; C556232:NS2 protein, influenza virus A; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins