Structural proteins of Pichinde virus.

Pichinde virus, a member of the arenovirus group, was found to have four polypeptides by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two components, V(I) and V(II), had molecular weights of about 72,000, whereas V(III) had a molecular weight of 34,000. A minor component, V(IV), had a molecular weight of about 12,000. Glucosamine was incorporated into V(II) and V(III), suggesting that these components were glycopeptides whereas V(I) and V(IV) were polypeptides. Treatment of the virus with Nonidet P-40 removed V(III), but V(I) and V(II) remained associated with the virus nucleic acid. This suggests a functional role of a ribonucleoprotein for V(I) and an envelope glycoprotein for V(III). V(II), the major glycopeptide, could function both as a membrane component and as a nucleoprotein.