The molecular biology of rotaviruses. VII. Detailed structural analysis of gene 10 of bovine rotavirus.

cDNA cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis have allowed detailed structural studies on RNA segment 10 of the U.K. bovine rotavirus to be undertaken. The complete sequence of 751 nucleotides was determined and found to contain only a single long open reading frame capable of coding for a protein of 175 amino acids. The gene has an unusually long 3' untranslated region of 184 nucleotides or some 24.5% of the total sequence, whose start was confirmed by analysing the carboxyterminal amino acid of the gene 10 product, the glycoprotein VP10c. Analysis of purified virions radio-labelled with [3H]glucosamine and [3H]mannose showed that VP10c is not a detectable component of the virus particle. The two potential glycosylation sites were found to be very close to the amino terminus of the putative translation product, strongly suggesting that the glycoprotein VP10c does not contain a cleavable signal sequence.