Influenza B virus genome: assignment of viral polypeptides to RNA segments.

It was shown that all eight RNA segments of influenza B viruses are most likely monocistronic and code for eight virus-specific polypeptides. A genetic map of the influenza B virus genome was established, and six polypeptides (P1 protein, nucleoprotein, hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, M protein, and nonstructural protein) were unambiguously assigned to specific RNA segments. Molecular weight estimates of the eight individual genes are obtained by using the glyoxal method. These results suggest that each influenza B virus RNA segment has a greater molecular weight than the influenza A virus RNA segment which codes for the analogous gene product.