Characterization of protease cleavage sites involved in the formation of the envelope glycoprotein and three non-structural proteins of dengue virus type 2, New Guinea C strain.

Amino terminal sequences of the envelope protein E and the three largest nonstructural proteins NS1, NS3, and NS5 of the New Guinea C strain of dengue virus type 2 (DEN-2) were obtained by nucleotide and protein sequencing. Clones were prepared containing cDNA of DEN-2 virus in the plasmid pUC8. The nucleotide sequences of viral cDNA inserts were determined and the cDNA of each clone positioned on the flavivirus genomic map by comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with that of yellow fever virus. Radiolabelled E, NS1, NS3 and NS5 were purified by lectin affinity chromatography and preparative gel electrophoresis. Purified proteins were subsequently analysed by Edman degradation to establish the origins of the amino termini of these proteins in the deduced DEN-2 amino acid sequence. Thus the amino acid sequences surrounding the likely proteolytic cleavage sites used in the formation of these four proteins were determined. Of particular interest was the sequence containing the amino terminus of NS3, namely Lys-Lys-Gln-Arg-Ala-Gly where Ala is the first amino acid of NS3. Cleavage following one basic residue in the flavivirus polyprotein has not been reported previously.