Specificity Studies of the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Non-Structural Protein 2 Protease Using Recombinant Fluorescent Substrates.

ABSTRACT: The non-structural protein 2 (nsP2) of alphavirus Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a cysteine protease that is responsible for processing of the viral non-structural polyprotein and is an important drug target owing to the clinical relevance of VEEV. In this study we designed two recombinant VEEV nsP2 constructs to study the effects of an N-terminal extension on the protease activity and to investigate the specificity of the elongated enzyme in vitro. The N-terminal extension was found to have no substantial effect on the protease activity. The amino acid preferences of the VEEV nsP2 protease were investigated on substrates representing wild-type and P5, P4, P2, P1, P1', and P2' variants of Semliki forest virus nsP1/nsP2 cleavage site, using a His₆-MBP-mEYFP recomb

SUBMITTER: Bozoki B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7593941 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature