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Journal of Virology, June 2009, p. 5951-5955, Vol. 83, No. 11
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00171-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Tara Hurst,1,
Chris Barry,1
Jingyun Shou,1
Frederick Kibenge,3 and
Roy Duncan1,2*
Department of Microbiology and Immunology,1 Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H1X5,2 Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Prince Edward Island, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4P33
Received 25 January 2009/ Accepted 10 March 2009
As nonenveloped viruses, the aquareoviruses and orthoreoviruses are unusual in their ability to induce cell-cell fusion and syncytium formation. While an extraordinary family of fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins is responsible for orthoreovirus syncytiogenesis, the basis for aquareovirus-induced syncytiogenesis is unknown. We now report that the S7 genome segment of an Atlantic salmon reovirus is polycistronic and uses a noncanonical CUG translation start codon to produce a 22-kDa integral membrane protein responsible for syncytiogenesis. The aquareovirus p22 protein represents a fourth distinct member of the FAST family with a unique repertoire and arrangement of structural motifs.
Published ahead of print on 18 March 2009.
These two authors contributed equally to this study.
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