A lentiviral expression system demonstrates that L* protein of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) is essential for virus growth in a murine macrophage-like cell line.

The DA subgroup strains of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) synthesize L* protein, which is translated out of frame with the polyprotein from an alternative AUG, 13 nucleotides downstream from the authentic polyprotein AUG. By a 'loss of function' experiment using a mutant virus, DAL*-1, in which the L* AUG is mutated to an ACG, L* protein is shown to play an important role in virus persistence, TMEV-induced demyelination, and virus growth in macrophages. In the present study, we established an L* protein-expressed macrophage-like cell line and confirmed the importance of L* protein in virus growth in this cell line.