The Virus Particle Nucleic Acids and Proteins of Four Bunyaviruses

Abstract

The structural polypeptides of 5 bunyaviruses, snowshoe hare, Lumbo and La Crosse viruses (members of the California encephalitis subgroup of bunyaviruses), Bunyamwera and Main Drain viruses (members of the Bunyamwera subgroup of bunyaviruses), were compared by polyacrylamide-SDS [sodium dodecyl sulfate] gel electrophoresis. Each virus possessed 3 major structural polypeptides, 2 glycoproteins (G1 and G2), and 1 nucleocapsid protein (N). Although the sizes of the G1 polypeptides (MW .apprx. 115 .times. 103) and G2 polypeptides (MW .apprx. 38 .times. 103) of the 5 viruses were essentially similar, the sizes of the N polypeptides of the various viruses differed (MW range 19-24 .times. 103). The RNA genomes of 4 bunyaviruses (snowshoe hare, La Crosse, Bunyamwera and Main Drain) were also compared. Each virus has 3 RNA species of MW .apprx. 3 .times. 106, 1.9 .times. 106 and 0.4 .times. 106. Minor size differences were observed for the smallest RNA species of the 4 viruses (MW range 0.34-0.50 .times. 106). For snowshoe hare virus the RNA segments have a 5'' sequence of pppAp . . . which suggests that the RNA is linear and not circular.