The viral ubiquitin gene of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus in not essential for viral replication[]

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 218; no. 1; pp. 243 - 247
• Main Authors: Reilly, L.M. (University of California, Davis, CA.), Guarino, L.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-1996
• Subjects: Animals; AUTOGRAPHA CALIFORNICA; Cell Line; Frameshift Mutation; GENE; GENES; Genes, Viral; INDICE DE CRECIMIENTO; INFECCION; INFECTION; nuclear polyhedrosis virus; Nucleopolyhedrovirus - genetics; Nucleopolyhedrovirus - physiology; PROTEINAS; PROTEINE; Spodoptera; TAUX DE CROISSANCE; TECHNIQUE DE CULTURE; TECNICAS DE CULTIVO; Ubiquitins - genetics; Ubiquitins - physiology; VIRUS POLIEDROSIS NUCLEAR; VIRUS POLYEDROSE NUCLEAIRE; Virus Replication - genetics
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1006/viro.1996.0185

The baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) encodes a protein with significant homology to ubiquitin. To study the role of viral ubiquitin in infection, a recombinant virus was constructed with a frameshift mutation within the coding sequence of the viral ubiquitin gene, v-ubi. This recombinant, named Vubi-FS, was viable, indicating that viral ubiquitin is not essential for replication in tissue culture. However, the yields of infectious budded virus were decreased 5- to 10-fold in single step growth curves, and the production of total budded virions was reduced to a similar extent. The mutant virus particles contained the phospholipid-modified form of ubiquitin (Pt-Ub), and amino acid sequence analysis revealed that only host ubiquitin was packaged into virions. Together, these results suggest that viral ubiquitin is a nonessential protein that may confer a slight growth advantage under certain conditions