Peptide mapping of envelope-related glycoproteins specified by the flaviviruses Kunjin and West Nile

Abstract

Glycoproteins detected in Vero cells infected by the flaviviruses West Nile and Kunjin were examined by gel electrophoresis and peptide mapping. Two major glycoproteins, gp66 and gp54, were observed in West Nile virus-infected cells labelled for short time periods with [3H]mannose. A third glycoprotein, gp58, was present in smaller amounts. Pulse-labelling experiments suggested that gp66 was a precursor of gp54. Peptide mapping of [3H]leucine-labelled gp66, gp54 and the envelope glycoprotein E of West Nile virus demonstrated that gp66 and gp54 were related to E, and that the peptides of gp54 were a subset of those of gp66. Peptide mapping of the corresponding Kunjin virus-specified glycoproteins (gp66, gp59 and gp53) showed that the [3H]leucine-labelled peptides of gp53 and gp59 were similar and were contained within gp66. Since we have shown previously that gp59 and gp53 are related to E of Kunjin virus, we conclude that cells infected by West Nile or Kunjin viruses contain a similar set of E-related glycoproteins.