[Complete nucleotide sequence of the nonstructural gene of alphavirus YN87448 strain isolated in China and its relationship to other Sindbis viruses]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the complete nucleotide sequence of the nonstructural gene of YN87448 virus stain which was firstly isolated from a female patient with fever in Yunnan Province in 1986, and identified as a member of Alphavirus by the serological method.

Methods: The complete nucleotide sequence of the nonstructural region gene of YN87448 virus strain was determined with nine clones, which were obtained by using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and by linking nine overlapping fragments into pGEM-T vector respectively.

Results: The complete nucleotide sequence of nonstructural gene of YN87448 virus strain was 7,613 nucleotides long exclusive of the 5' cap, encoding four nonstructural proteins, nsP1, nsP2, nsP3, nsP4, and contained one initiator(ATG) and two stop codons (TGA). In comparison with the consensus sequence of S.A.AR86, the homogeneity of the nucleotide sequence between YN87448 virus strain and sindbis-like virus isolate S.A.AR86 was 98.8%. YN87448 virus strain can not produce a fatal disease in adult mice. In comparison with the consensus sequence of S.A.AR86, there is a 54 nucleotide insertion from 5,256 bp to 5,309 bp, 3 nucleotide (AGT) deletion at 5,603 bp in nsP3 region, and an opal termination codon between the nsP3 and the nsP4 genes in YN87448. virus strain. This sequence has been put into Gene Bank and No. is AF103734.

Conclusion: YN87448 is a new sindbis-like virus strain.