Analyses of Patois group bunyaviruses: evidence for naturally occurring recombinant bunyaviruses and existence of immune precipitable and nonprecipitable nonvirion proteins induced in bunyavirus-infected cells.

Shark River (SR) and Pahayokee (PAH) bunyaviruses (Patois serogroup, Bunyavirus genus, family Bunyaviridae) have almost identical L and S RNA oligonucleotide fingerprints, but M RNA fingerprints that are different, suggesting that the two viruses may represent naturally occurring reassortant viruses. These observations are in agreement with serological studies (B. N. Fields, B. E. Henderson, P. H. Coleman, and T. H. Work, 1969, Amer. J. Epidemiol., 89, 222-226) which have distinguished these two viruses by neutralization of infectivity tests (presumably reflecting differences in M RNA gene products, J. R. Gentsch, E. J. Rozhon, R. A. Klimas, L. H. El Said, R. E. Shope, and D. H. L. Bishop, 1980, Virology102, 190-204), but not by complement fixation tests (which probably relate to the viral N polypeptide coded by the S RNA, J. Gentsch, L. R. Wynne, J. P. Clewley, R. E. Shope, and D. H. L. Bishop, 1977b, J. Virol. 24,893-902). The 3' terminal 11 nucleotides of PAH S RNA (3' (HO)OUCAUCAAAUGA ... 5') are identical in sequence to those of the S RNA species of snowshoe hare (SSH) and La Crosse (LAC) viruses, except for a position 7A residue which is a C residue in the SSH and LAC sequences. The major virion polypeptides of SR and PAH viruses include a nucleocapsid polypeptide (N, 22 x 10(3)) and two glycoproteins (PAH: G1 118 x 10(3), G2, 35 x 10(3); SR: G1 113 x 10(3), G2, 35 x 10(3)). In SR-infected cells several immune precipitable polypeptides have been detected. These include 11-, 54-, 64-, 93-, and 104 x 10(3)-dalton polypeptides. In addition, both SR and PAH viruses induce a 74 x 10(3)-dalton polypeptide (p74) that has not been detected in actinomycin D-treated infected cells, and is not immune precipitated from infected cell extracts.