Use of lambda gt11 and monoclonal antibodies to map the gene for the 60,000 dalton glycoprotein of infectious laryngotracheitis virus.

To localize the gene encoding the 60 kD glycoprotein (gp60) of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), a library of the ILTV genome was constructed in the lambda gt11 expression vector. Twelve recombinant bacteriophages expressing gp60 epitopes as fusion products with beta-galactosidase were detected by immunoscreening with monoclonal antibodies specific for gp60. The ILTV DNA sequence contained in one of these recombinants lambda 24-4 was used as a hybridization probe for mapping the insert sequence on the viral genome. The gene for the gp60 was located at map unit 0.72-0.77 in the unique long region (UL) of the ILTV genome. The DNA sequence of the 1.2 kb insert of lambda 24-4 containing the gp60 epitope was determined. The majority of deduced gp60 amino acid sequence has no homology with any of the known alphaherpesvirus glycoproteins.