Partial sequence analysis of cloned dengue virus type 2 genome.

Dengue virus (DEN) is a member of flaviviruses and contains a single, (+)-strand RNA of approx. 11 kb. Complementary DNA copy of the RNA was synthesized using reverse transcriptase and oligo(dT) as primer. The double-stranded DNA copy was cloned at the PstI site of pUC13'-1 vector and was used to transform Escherichia coli JM83. Eleven transfomants were found to contain DEN insert as screened by colony hybridization. Three clones were chosen for further characterization by nucleotide (nt), sequence analysis. Two of these clones overlapped by 470 bp. Sequences of these three clones totalling about 4.6 kb were obtained. Translation of this DNA in all possible reading frames revealed the presence of long open reading frames spanning the entire length of the cDNA clones. The putative polypeptides derived from the nt sequence are 885 and 643 amino acids in length and show homology to the region of polyprotein coded by the yellow fever virus genome corresponding to the non-structural proteins [Rice et al., Science 229 (1985) 726-733]. The significant homology between these two viruses in the regions coding for the non-structural proteins NS3 and NS5 suggests an important role for these two proteins in the life cycle of these viruses.