NTPase and 5' to 3' RNA duplex-unwinding activities of the hepatitis E virus helicase domain.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a causative agent of acute hepatitis, and it is the sole member of the genus Hepevirus in the family Hepeviridae. The open reading frame 1 (ORF1) protein of HEV encodes nonstructural polyprotein with putative domains for methyltransferase, cysteine protease, helicase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. It is not yet known whether ORF1 functions as a single protein with multiple domains or is processed to form separate functional units. On the basis of amino acid conserved motifs, HEV helicase has been grouped into helicase superfamily 1 (SF-1). In order to examine the RNA helicase activity of the NTPase/helicase domain of HEV, the region (amino acids 960 to 1204) was cloned and expressed as histidine-tagged protein in Escherichia coli (HEV Hel) and purified. HEV He

SUBMITTER: Karpe YA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2838093 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature