Localization of lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions within the murine retrovirus gag precursor by a novel peptide-mapping technique.

In HTG2 hamster cells infected with the replication-defective Gazdar murine sarcoma virus only immature virus particles are formed, with the uncleaved gag precursor Pr65 as the only major protein in the virion. We have investigated the structure of these particles by using in situ cross-linking followed by chemical and enzymatic cleavages of Pr65 to localize sites of lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions. Lipid-protein cross-links were localized within a 10-kDa fragment in the p15 region of Pr65. Homotypic protein-protein cross-links between Pr65 units were localized within the p15 regions and also within the p10 regions of Pr65. Similar data for processed gag proteins in Rauscher murine leukemia virus, a prototype of a mature C-type virus, suggest that these interactions of the gag precursor are not altered during maturation. To identify the sites of cross-linking within Pr65, we have developed a two-dimensional peptide mapping technique that is based on nearest neighbor analysis of fragments released by cyanogen bromide treatment of partial cleavage products in gel slices. In conjunction with cross-linking, the peptide mapping technique is a powerful means for localizing specific interactions on a polypeptide backbone.