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J. Virol., 01 1998, 550-557, Vol 72, No. 1
A Jons, JM Dijkstra and TC Mettenleiter
Genes homologous to the herpes simplex virus UL49.5 open reading frame are
conserved throughout the Herpesviridae. In the alphaherpesvirus
pseudorabies virus (PrV), the UL49.5 product is an O-glycosylated
structural protein of the viral envelope, glycoprotein N (gN) (A. Jons, H.
Granzow, R. Kuchling, and T. C. Mettenleiter, J. Virol. 70:1237- 1241,
1996). For functional characterization of gN, a gN-negative PrV mutant,
PrV-gNbeta, and the corresponding rescuant, PrV-gNbetaR, were constructed,
gN-negative PrV was able to productively replicate on noncomplementing
cells, and one-step growth in cell culture was only slightly reduced
compared to that of wild-type PrV. However, penetration was significantly
delayed. In indirect immunofluorescence assays with rabbit serum directed
against baculovirus-expressed gN, specific staining of wild-type
PrV-infected cells occurred only after permeabilization of cells, whereas
live cells failed to react with the antiserum. This indicates the lack of
surface accessibility of gN in the plasma membrane of a PrV-infected cell.
Western blot analyses and radioimmunoprecipitation experiments under
reducing and nonreducing conditions led to the discovery of a heteromeric
complex composed of gM and gN. The complex was stable in the absence of
2-mercaptoethanol but dissociated after the addition of the reducing agent,
indicating that the partners are linked by disulfide bonds. Finally, gN was
absent from gM-negative PrV virions, whereas gM was readily detected in
virions in the absence of gN. Thus, gM appears to be required for virion
localization of gN.
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology
Glycoproteins M and N of pseudorabies virus form a disulfide-linked complex
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler- Institutes, Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, Insel Riems, Germany.
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