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Journal of Virology, November 2002, p. 10829-10840, Vol. 76, No. 21
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.21.10829-10840.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Martin J. B. Raamsman,2 and Peter J. M. Rottier
Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Received 3 April 2002/ Accepted 22 July 2002
Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Arteriviridae of the order Nidovirales. Four envelope proteins have hitherto been identified in EAV particles: the predominant membrane proteins M and GL, the unglycosylated small envelope protein E, and the nonabundant membrane glycoprotein GS. In this study, we established that the products of EAV open reading frame 3 (ORF3) and ORF4 (designated GP3 and GP4, respectively) are also minor structural glycoproteins. The proteins were first characterized by various analyses after in vitro translation of RNA transcripts in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate in the presence and absence of microsomal membranes. We subsequently expressed ORF3 and -4 in baby hamster kidney cells by using the vaccinia virus expression system and, finally, analyzed the GP3 and GP4 proteins synthesized in EAV-infected cells. The results showed that GP4 is a class I integral membrane protein of 28 kDa with three functional N-glycosylation sites and with little, if any, of its carboxy terminus exposed. Both after independent expression and in EAV-infected cells, the protein localizes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as demonstrated biochemically by analysis of its oligosaccharide side chains and as visualized directly by immunofluorescence studies. GP3, on the other hand, is a heavily glycosylated protein whose hydrophobic amino terminus is not cleaved off. It is an integral membrane protein anchored by either or both of its hydrophobic terminal domains and with no parts detectably exposed cytoplasmically. Also, GP3 localizes in the ER when expressed independently and in the context of an EAV infection. Only a small fraction of the GP3 and GP4 proteins synthesized in infected cells ends up in virions. Most, but not all, of the oligosaccharides of these virion glycoproteins are biochemically mature. Our results bring the number of EAV envelope proteins to six.
Present address: Gene Therapy Section, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), 2333 AL Leiden, The Netherlands.
Present address: Crucell N.V., 2333 CN Leiden, The Netherlands.
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