Large-molecular-weight precursors of sindbis virus proteins.

Infection of chicken embryo fibroblasts with a temperature-sensitive mutant of Sindbis virus at the nonpermissive temperature leads to the accumulation of a large-molecular-weight protein. We have shown that this protein contains (14)C-arginine tryptic peptides present in the three virion proteins. We have also found that a slightly smaller protein which is detected in Sindbis-infected BHK cells contains the (14)C-arginine tryptic peptides of the two envelope proteins but not those of the capsid protein. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that the Sindbis virus protein in BHK cells is cleaved to the envelope proteins.