Molecular characterization and expression of the M6 gene of grass carp hemorrhage virus (GCHV), an aquareovirus.

The complete nucleotide sequence of M6 gene of grass carp hemorrhage virus (GCHV) was determined. It is 2039 nucleotides in length and contains a single large open reading frame that could encode a protein of 648 amino acids with predicted molecular mass of 68.7 kDa. Amino acid sequence comparison revealed that the protein encoded by GCHV M6 is closely related to the protein mu1 of mammalian reovirus. The M6 gene, encoding the major outer-capsid protein, was expressed using the pET fusion protein vector in Escherichia coli and detected by Western blotting using chicken anti-GCHV immunoglobulin (IgY). The result indicates that the protein encoded by M6 may share a putative Asn-42-Pro-43 proteolytic cleavage site with mu1.