Characterization of a Unique Group-Specific Protein (U122) of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

Author:

Fielding Burtram C.1,Tan Yee-Joo1,Shuo Shen1,Tan Timothy H. P.1,Ooi Eng-Eong2,Lim Seng Gee13,Hong Wanjin1,Goh Phuay-Yee1

Affiliation:

1. Collaborative Anti-Viral Research Group, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore 117609

2. Environmental Health Institute, National Environmental Agency, Singapore 117610

3. Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Republic of Singapore

Abstract

ABSTRACT A novel coronavirus (CoV) has been identified as the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV genome encodes the characteristic essential CoV replication and structural proteins. Additionally, the genome contains six group-specific open reading frames (ORFs) larger than 50 amino acids, with no known homologues. As with the group-specific genes of the other CoVs, little is known about the SARS-CoV group-specific genes. SARS-CoV ORF7a encodes a putative unique 122-amino-acid protein, designated U122 in this study. The deduced sequence contains a probable cleaved signal sequence and a C-terminal transmembrane helix, indicating that U122 is likely to be a type I membrane protein. The C-terminal tail also contains a typical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrieval motif, KRKTE. U122 was expressed in SARS-CoV-infected Vero E6 cells, as it could be detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses. U122 is localized to the perinuclear region of both SARS-CoV-infected and transfected cells and colocalized with ER and intermediate compartment markers. Mutational analyses showed that both the signal peptide sequence and ER retrieval motif were functional.

Publisher

American Society for Microbiology

Subject

Virology,Insect Science,Immunology,Microbiology

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