ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL PROTEINS OF MEASLES, CANINE DISTEMPER, AND RINDERPEST VIRUSES

Abstract
Serological relationships among measles virus (MV), canine distemper virus (CDV) and rinderpest virus (RV), which constitute the morbillivirus subgroup of paramyxoviridae, were investigated by immunoprecipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for their major structural proteins, i.e., hemagglutinin (H), nucleocapsid (NC), fusion (F) and matrix (M) proteins. The MW of the 4 structural proteins of MV and CDV corresponded to those previously reported. Structural proteins of RV were analyzed for the 1st time and had MW of 74,000, 62,000, 44,000 and 40,000 for H, NC, F and M proteins, respectively. By labeling with glucosamine, the presence of carbohydrate moiety was found in H protein for all the 3 viruses and in F protein of CDV. Sera from convalescent animals infected with the respective virus disclosed a 1-way cross pattern depending on the combinations of virus and antisera, but failed to show the reciprocal cross-reactivity. Hyperimmune sera to respective virus showed reciprocal cross-reactivity with the 4 structural proteins, indicating that each of the major structural proteins possesses the antigen common to all 3 morbilliviruses.