Structural proteins of two different plaque-size phenotypes of fowlpox virus.

Structural polypeptides of two plaque-purified variant isolates of fowlpox virus differing in plaque morphology and size were examined by Coomassie blue-staining and immunoblot analysis of purified virions. A total of 30 structural polypeptides were observed, ranging in molecular weight from 14,100 to 122,600. A late polypeptide of 36,400 molecular weight was quite prominent in the small-plaque clone but absent in the large-plaque clone. Two other polypeptides, of 33,700 and 34,800 molecular weight, were present in virions from large-plaque virus and cell lysates of both clones but were absent in the small-plaque virions. These differences were observed whether the viruses were grown in chorioallantoic membrane or in chicken embryo fibroblast cultures. No difference was observed between the growth curves of the two virus clones. Differences observed in the polypeptides of the two viruses may be due to changes in the less conserved regions of viral DNA and may be used for differentiation of virus isolates.