Nucleotide and complete amino acid sequences of Kunjin virus: definitive gene order and characteristics of the virus-specified proteins

Abstract

A Kunjin (KUN) virus cDNA sequence of 10664 nucleotides was obtained and it encoded a single open reading frame for 3433 amino acids. Partial N-terminal amino acid analyses of KUN virus-specified proteins identified the polyprotein cleavage sites and the definitive gene order. The gene order relative to that proposed for yellow fever (YF) virus is as follows: KUN 5'-C.GP20.E.GP44.P19.P10.P71.(?).P21.P98-3' YF 5'-C.prM.E.NS1.ns2a.ns2b.NS3.ns4a.ns4b. NS5-3'. The order of putative signal sequences and stop transfer sequences indicated that KUN NS1, NS2A and NS4B are probably cleaved in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, at a consensus site Val-X-Ala decreases where X is an uncharged residue, and NS2B, NS3 and NS5 are cleaved in the cytosol at the site Lys-Arg decreases Gly. Comparisons with the complete amino acid sequences of YF and West Nile (WN) viruses showed that KUN virus shared 93% homology with WN virus, but only 46% homology with YF virus. Comparisons among individual gene products of six flaviviruses showed that E, NS1, NS3 and NS5 tended to be the most highly conserved, and C among the least conserved. Homologous cleavage sites were evident, and six domains in NS5, a total of over 170 residues, shared at least 85% homology. Comparisons with the KUN C to NS2B sequence defined a gradient of relationships of all gene products in decreasing order WN greater than Murray Valley greater than Japanese encephalitis greater than St Louis encephalitis viruses within this closely related serological complex. A non-coding 5' sequence (75 nucleotides) of KUN virus shared 95% homology with WN virus and a shorter imperfect match with Murray Valley encephalitis virus (15 of 18 nucleotides). The KUN non-coding 3' sequence of 290 nucleotides contained several short and imperfectly matched sequences, and shared 87% homology over the distal region of 191 nucleotides with the corresponding region of WN virus RNA.