Nucleotide sequence of the M segment of Germiston virus: comparison of the M gene product of several bunyaviruses.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the M RNA segment of Germiston bunyavirus was determined from plasmids containing overlapping M cDNA inserts. The M segment is 4534 nucleotides long and contains a 50-base-long inverted terminal repeat which can form a stable hydrogen-bonded secondary structure with a delta G of -45.8 kcal/mol. The RNA molecule complementary to viral RNA contains a single large open reading frame that encodes a 1437 amino acid-long protein with hydrophobic amino and carboxy terminal regions, which could represent signal and anchor sequences, respectively. It is presumed that this gene product is the polyprotein precursor to glycoproteins G1 and G2 and to the nonstructural polypeptide NSM. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the M RNA of Bunyamwera virus (prototype of the serogroup) and snowshow hare and La Crosse viruses (California serogroup) (Lees et al., 1986; Eshita and Bishop, 1984; Grady et al., 1987) were compared to those of Germiston virus. An overall amino acid sequence homology of 44% was found between Germiston and snowshoe hare viruses and of 61% between Germiston and Bunyamwera viruses. Most of the cysteines, three out of seven of the potential glycosylation sites, as well as the N and C terminal hydrophobic domains, are conserved between the four viruses.