ABSTRACT
The glycoprotein 3 (GP3) of type II porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus has the characteristic domains of a membrane protein. However, this protein has been reported to be retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) rather than transported to the plasma membrane of the cell. In this study, we performed confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of variants of GP3 and foundthat the signal sequence of the GP3 led to confinement of GP3 in the ER, while the functional ortransmembrane domain did not affect its localization. Based on these results, we concludedthat the signal sequence of GP3 contains the ER retention signal, which might play an important role in assembly of viral proteins.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cricetinae , Cell Line , Cell Membrane/metabolism , Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism , Microscopy, Confocal/veterinary , Plasmids/genetics , Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus/genetics , Protein Sorting Signals , Sequence Analysis, Protein/veterinary , Viral Envelope Proteins/chemistryABSTRACT