The ability of influenza C virus to generate cord-like structures is influenced by the gene coding for M protein.

We observed previously that cord-like structures which had lengths up to 500 microns or greater were protruding from the surface of HMV-II cells infected with influenza C/Yamagata/1/88 virus (Nishimura et al., 1990, Virology 179, 179-188). Comparison of the cord-forming ability among a number of influenza C isolates revealed that the C/Taylor/1233/47 strain was unique in lacking the ability. It was also found that the major structural proteins, hemagglutinin-esterase (HE), nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix (M), could each be distinguished between C/Yamagata/1/88 and C/Taylor/1233/47 viruses by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. To determine the genes involved in the cord formation, a series of reassortant viruses were prepared between C/Yamagata/1/88 and C/Taylor/1233/47, and parental derivation of genes coding for HE, NP, and M was determined by gel electrophoresis. All reassortants which derived M gene from C/Yamagata/1/88, irrespective of derivation of genes coding for HE and NP, had the ability to generate cords, whereas none of reassortants which derived M gene from C/Taylor/1233/47 were capable of producing cords. With respect to several representative reassortants, the origins of genes encoding the polymerase proteins (PB2, PB1, P3) and the nonstructural proteins (NS1, NS2) were determined by T1-oligonucleotide fingerprinting of the isolated RNA segments. The results suggested that none of genes coding for these proteins are exclusively associated with the cord formation. Thus, it is likely that the M gene is the key determinant of the cord-forming ability of influenza C viruses. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the M genes revealed that compared to C/Yamagata/1/88, C/Taylor/1233/47 had two amino acid substitutions in the M molecule at positions 24 (Ala-->Thr) and 133 (Asp-->Asn).