Sequence of the hemagglutinin gene of influenza virus A/Memphis/1/71 and previously uncharacterized monoclonal antibody-derived variants.

A cDNA copy of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of Mem/1/71HA Bel/42NA was cloned into the plasmid pBR322. The cloned gene contained the coding information for all of the HA except for the hydrophobic membrane insertion sequence of the C-terminus of HA2. The cloned HA DNA was used to make HA-specific primers from restriction fragments for internal priming on the viral RNA. These primers were used to sequence the complete HA gene of Mem/1/71, and to determine nucleotide sequence changes in four previously uncharacterized monoclonal antibody generated variants of Mem/1/71 (Webster, Laver, Air, Ward, Van Wyke, and Gerhard, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 354, 142-161, 1980).