Identification of human astrovirus genome-linked protein (VPg) essential for virus infectivity.

ABSTRACT: Viral genome-linked proteins (VPgs) have been identified in several single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus families. The presence of such protein in the family Astroviridae has not been fully elucidated, although a putative VPg coding region in open reading frame 1a (ORF1a) of astrovirus with high amino acid sequence similarity to the VPg coding region of Caliciviridae has been previously identified. In this work we present several experimental findings that show that human astrovirus (HAstV) RNA encodes a VPg essential for viral infectivity: (i) RNase treatment of RNA purified from astrovirus-infected cells results in a single protein of 13 to 15 kDa, compatible with the predicted astrovirus VPg size; (ii) the antibody used to detect this 13- to 15-kDa protein is specifically directed a

SUBMITTER: Fuentes C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3446559 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature