Sequence determination of the capsid protein gene and flanking regions of tobacco etch virus: Evidence for synthesis and processing of a polyprotein in potyvirus genome expression

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Abstract
The nucleotide sequence of the 3''-terminal portion of the tobacco etch virus (TEV) genome was determined. The 2324-nucleotide sequence represented .apprx. 1/4 of the TEV genome and flanking regions. An open reading frame of 2135 nucleotides and an untranslated region of 189 nucleotides adjacent to a polyadenylate tract were identified. The sequence began within an open reading frame, indicating that the initiation codon was upstream of the available sequence data. The sequence of the 20 NH2-terminal amino acids of the TEV capsid protein was established chemically. An identical amino acid sequence, predicted from the nucleotide sequence, was located, commencing at amino acid -263. These data indicated that maturation of the capsid protein required a post-translational cleavage of a larger protein precursor, with a probable cleavage site between the amino acids glutamine and glycine.