Sequence analysis of the phosphoprotein (P) genes of human parainfluenza type 4A and 4B viruses and RNA editing at transcript of the P genes: the number of G residues added is imprecise.

We cloned and sequenced the cDNAs against genomic RNAs and mRNAs for phosphoproteins (Ps) of human parainfluenza virus types 4A (PIV-4A) and 4B (PIV-4B). The PIV-4A and -4B P genes were 1535 nucleotides including poly(A) tract and were found to have two small open reading frames, neither of which was apparently large enough to encode the P protein. A cluster of G residues was found in genomic RNA and the number of G residues was 6 in both PIV-4A and -4B. However, the number of G residues at the corresponding site in the mRNAs to the genomic RNA was not constant. Three different mRNA cDNA clones were obtained; the first type of mRNA encodes a larger (P) protein of 399 amino acids, the second type encodes V protein of 229 or 230 amino acids, and the third type encodes the smallest protein (156 amino acids). Comparisons on the nucleotide and the amino acid sequences P and V proteins between these two subtypes revealed extensive homologies. However, these homology degrees are lower than that of NP protein. The C-terminal regions of the P and V proteins of PIV-4s could be aligned with all other Paramyxoviruses, PIV-2, mumps virus (MuV), simian virus 5 (SV 5), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), measles virus (MV), canine distemper virus (CDV), Sendai virus (SV), and PIV-3. On the other hand, the P-V common (N-terminal) regions showed no homology with MV, CDV, SV, and PIV-3. Seven phylogenetic trees of Paramyxoviruses were constructed from the entire and partial regions of P and V proteins.