Stimulation of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA translation by reovirus capsid polypeptide sigma 3 in cotransfected COS cells.

The mammalian reovirus S4 gene has been implicated in the serotype-dependent inhibition of host cell protein synthesis during viral replication in mouse L cells. To examine the effect(s) of this gene on transcription or translation or both, a DNA copy of the serotype 3 S4 gene was inserted into a eucaryotic expression vector. Cotransfection of COS cells with plasmids containing S4 and the reporter gene, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), resulted in a marked stimulation of CAT expression, predominantly at the level of translation. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the double-stranded-RNA-binding activity of the S4 gene product, polypeptide sigma 3.