Analysis of the Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Chp1, a Phage which Infects Avian Chlamydia psittaci

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Abstract
We report the complete nucleotide sequence of bacteriophage Chp1. The genome was found to be 4877 bases long and it potentially codes for 11 proteins. Open reading frames (ORFs) 6 and 7 lie within ORFs2 and 1 respectively but are in a second reading frame. No significant DNA homology was found when Chp1 was compared to the EMBL database. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the three structural proteins VP1, VP2 and VP3 were determined and it was found that they were encoded by ORFs 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Amino acid homology studies revealed that VP1 has homology with the major structural protein of bacteriophages .vphi.X174 and S13, and that the protein inferred from ORF4 shows homology to the A proteins of .vphi.X174, and S13 and G4. The genome of Chp1 has an organization similar to that of .vphi.X174 although it is 509 bases smaller. We propose that Chp1 is a member of the Microviridae but that it is sufficiently different to warrant its own subfamily which we have called the Chlamydiavirinae.