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Journal of Virology logoLink to Journal of Virology
. 2004 Nov;78(22):12576–12590. doi: 10.1128/JVI.78.22.12576-12590.2004

Functional Genomics Analysis of Singapore Grouper Iridovirus: Complete Sequence Determination and Proteomic Analysis

Wen Jun Song 1, Qi Wei Qin 2, Jin Qiu 1, Can Hua Huang 1, Fan Wang 1, Choy Leong Hew 1,*
PMCID: PMC525058  PMID: 15507645

Abstract

Here we report the complete genome sequence of Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV). Sequencing of the random shotgun and restriction endonuclease genomic libraries showed that the entire SGIV genome consists of 140,131 nucleotide bp. One hundred sixty-two open reading frames (ORFs) from the sense and antisense DNA strands, coding for lengths varying from 41 to 1,268 amino acids, were identified. Computer-assisted analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that 77 of the ORFs exhibited homologies to known virus genes, 23 of which matched functional iridovirus proteins. Forty-two putative conserved domains or signatures were detected in the National Center for Biotechnology Information CD-Search database and PROSITE database. An assortment of enzyme activities involved in DNA replication, transcription, nucleotide metabolism, cell signaling, etc., were identified. Viruses were cultured on a cell line derived from the embryonated egg of the grouper Epinephelus tauvina, isolated, and purified by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The protein extract from the purified virions was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by in-gel digestion of protein bands. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and database searching led to identification of 26 proteins. Twenty of these represented novel or previously unidentified genes, which were further confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing of their respective RT-PCR products.


Iridoviruses are animal viruses that infect only invertebrates and poikilothermic vertebrates, such as fish, insects, amphibians, and reptiles (40). They have been implicated as causative agents of serious systemic diseases among cultured and ornamental fish, as well as wild fish. Within the family Iridoviridae, four genera of DNA-containing viruses are currently known to infect invertebrates (Iridovirus and Chloriridovirus) and cold-blooded vertebrates (Ranavirus and Lymphocystivirus) (36). Major characteristic features of all iridoviruses are the large icosahedral viral particles (120 to 300 nm) present in the cytoplasm. Generally, isolates from fish tend to be larger (200 to 300 nm) in size than both amphibian and invertebrate viruses (120 to 200 nm). To date, genome sequences of five iridovirus genomes have been published: Lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) (genus Lymphocystivirus) (33), Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) (genus Iridovirus) (18), Tiger frog virus (TFV) (genus Ranavirus) (13), Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) (genus unassigned) (14), and Ambystoma tigrinum virus (ATV) (genus Ranavirus) (19).

Iridovirus pathogens have been regarded as a cause of serious systemic diseases among feral, cultured, and ornamental fish in the recent years. Mortalities of fish due to systemic iridovirus infection reaching 30 to 100% were observed. Histopathological signs in iridovirus-infected fish may include enlargement of cells and necrosis of the renal and splenic hematopoietic tissues (28). In 1994, a novel viral disease called sleepy grouper disease (SGD) resulted in significant economic losses in Singapore marine net cage farms. Finally, this novel iridovirus of the genus Ranavirus, designated Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), was successfully isolated in 1998 from brown-spotted grouper (6, 29). Further, it was successfully grown in an alternate grouper embryonated egg (Epinephelus tauvina) cell line, with good resultant titers (9) and was used as a source to purify SGIV. The physiochemical properties of SGIV have been reported previously (28). At the molecular level, only a partial sequence encoding the highly conserved major capsid protein in SGIV has been reported (28). Due to its relevance in the aquaculture industry, it is important to study the molecular mechanism of viral infection and virus-host interaction in grouper. As an initial part of these studies, we have determined the complete genomic sequence of SGIV. We have also confirmed the authenticity of some open reading frames (ORFs) using the proteomic approach and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Virus infection, purification, and genomic DNA extraction.

Grouper embryonic cells from the brown-spotted grouper Epinephelus tauvina (5) were cultured in Eagle's minimum essential medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 0.116 M NaCl, 100 IU of penicillin G/ml and 100 μl of streptomycin sulfate/ml. Culture media were equilibrated with HEPES to the final concentration of 5 mM and adjusted to pH 7.4 with NaHCO3. Virus was inoculated onto confluent monolayers of the grouper cell line at a multiplicity of infection of approximately 0.1. When the cytopathic effect was sufficient, the medium containing SGIV was harvested and centrifuged at 12,000 × g for 30 min at 4°C. The pellet comprising the virus was resuspended with the culture medium and ultrasonicated. The suspension containing the lysate, virus, and cellular debris was then centrifuged at 4,000 × g for 20 min at 4°C. The supernatant was layered onto a cushion of 35% sucrose and centrifuged at 210,000 × g for 1 h at 4°C. The pellet, resuspended with the TN buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl [pH 7.4], 150 mM NaCl), was overlaid with 30, 40, 50, and 60% (m/v) sucrose gradients and centrifuged at 210,000 × g for 1 h at 4°C. Virus bands, present in 50% sucrose, were aspirated, sonicated briefly, and reloaded onto sucrose gradients. The lowest band (50% sucrose) was individually aspirated and spun down at 100,000 × g. The purity of virus was examined by negative staining under transmission electron microscopy (JEOL 100 CXII) and was shown to be sufficiently pure for isolation of the genomic DNA, construction of shotgun and restriction libraries, and proteomic analysis. The genomic DNA of the SGIV was treated with protease K and N-lauroylsarcosine, followed by phenol-chloroform extraction and alcohol precipitation (16).

Construction of libraries.

Soluble genomic DNA was quantified by spectrophotometry (UV-1600; Shimadzu). Sixty micrograms of genomic DNA was diluted with TM buffer (5 mM Tris-HCl [pH 8.0], 1.5 mM MgCl2) to a final volume of 200 μl and ultrasonicated (3-s bursts) using an ultrasonic liquid processor (model XL2020; Misonix Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y.). The appropriate viral DNA fragments (500 to 800 bp) were excised from the 1.0% agarose gel and extracted using the QIAquick gel extraction kit (QIAGEN). Genomic DNA fragments were end repaired with T4 DNA polymerase, followed by phosphorylation with T4 polynucleotide kinase. DNA fragments were purified using a High Pure PCR product purification kit (Roche) before the next enzymatic reaction. Sonicated fragments were ligated by incubation at 16°C overnight to the pUC19 vector, which had been prelinearized by SmaI followed by dephosphorylation. After purification, chimerical plasmids were transformed into electrocompetent-cell DH5α. More than 1,000 recombinants were selected from the library by the blue/white screening assay. To construct the restriction library, DNA fragments were obtained by restriction digestion with BamHI and cloned into the corresponding site of pBluescriptII KS(+) vector. Both libraries were used to scaffold the SGIV genome.

Assembly and analysis of SGIV genome.

Sequencing of the viral fragments was carried out following the standard protocol supplied by Applied Biosystems. All cycle sequencing products were loaded onto the ABI PRISM 3100 genetic analyzer to acquire nucleotide sequences from both directions. Before the scaffolds were created, high-throughput BLAST analysis was performed for all nucleotide sequences to eliminate contamination reads, followed by vector screening with the InterPhace program (University of Washington). A software package, Vector NTI Suite 7.1 (InforMax Inc., Frederick, Mass.), was applied to create the contigs, assemble the genome, identify ORFs, analyze presumptive genes, and draw the genomic map. The whole genome was also submitted to http://www.softberry.com (Softberry Inc., Mount Kisco, N.Y.) for identification of all potential ORFs. These ORFs were searched against the mirror site of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide database at the Singapore Bioinformatics Institute. The presumptive genes were submitted to the NCBI network service to search for conserved domains. Protein motifs were analyzed by using the PROSITE database, release 18.17 (8). Signal peptides and signal anchors were predicted with SignalP V2.0 (24, 25). Signal anchors exist in certain membrane proteins (type II membrane proteins) attaching to the membrane by an N-terminal sequence which shares many characteristics with a signal peptide sequence but is not cleaved. Transmembrane domains were predicted with TMpred (15).

Mass spectrometric analysis of SGIV proteins.

The protein pellet of the lower band from sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation was separated by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Thirty-nine well-separated protein bands were excised, reduced, alkylated, and digested with trypsin (31). To extract the peptides, the gel particles were twice treated with 20 mM NH4HCO3 and 5% formic acid in 50% acetonitrile, respectively. All supernatants were combined and dried in a vacuum centrifuge. Dried peptides were dissolved in 3 to 20 μl of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid in 50% acetonitrile. Dissolved peptides (0.5 μl) were spotted onto a target plate, followed by an equal volume of 10-mg/ml α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid in 50% acetonitrile-0.1% trifluoroacetic acid. After the spots had dried, the target plate was loaded into a Voyager-DE STR BioSpectrometry workstation mass spectrometer (PerSeptive Biosystems, Framingham, Mass.). Mass spectra were acquired with 20.5 kV, 73.5% of grid, and a delayed time of 380 ns under a positive-ion reflector mode. The resulting peptide mass fingerprints were searched against the SGIV ORF database using the AutoMS-Fit search program (version 1.2.18; PerSeptive Biosystem).

RT-PCR.

Total RNA was extracted from viral cultures at different infective stages using an RNeasy Mini kit (QIAGEN). After the treatment of the total RNA with the RNase-free DNase I (QIAGEN), gene-specific primers were used to amplify the target genes by using the OneStep RT-PCR kit (QIAGEN). All the steps were followed according to the manufacturer's manual. Briefly, cDNA was reverse transcribed at 50°C for 30 min. The PCR amplification segment was started with an initial heating step at 95°C for 15 min (in order to simultaneously deactivate omniscript and sensiscript reverse transcriptases). After the activation of the HotStarTaq DNA polymerase, PCR amplification reactions were performed for 30 cycles under conditions of 95°C for 30 s, 51 to 58°C for 15 s, and 72°C for 1 min per cycle. The annealing temperature was optimized for different target genes. RT-PCR products were analyzed with 1% agarose gel and also subjected to nucleotide sequencing.

Virus abbreviations.

ALIV, African lampeye iridovirus; ATV, Ambystoma tigrinum virus; BIV, Bohle iridovirus; BVDV, bovine viral diarrhea virus; CIV, Chilo iridescent virus; CV, chlorella virus; CZIV, Costelytra zealandica iridescent virus; EHDV, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus; EHNV, epizootic hematopoietic necrosis virus; EHV-1, equine herpesvirus; FPV, fowlpox virus; FV3, frog virus 3; GIV, grouper iridovirus; GSIV, giant seaperch iridovirus; HVAV, Heliotis virescens ascovirus; IMRV, Ictalurus melas ranavirus; ISKNV, infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus; LBIV, largemouth bass iridovirus; LCDV-1, lymphocystis disease virus 1; LYCIV, large yellow croaker iridovirus; MSEPV, Melanoplus sanguinipes entomopoxvirus; OMRV, Oncorhynchus mykiss ranavirus; PBCV, Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus; RGV, Rana grylio virus; RRV, Regina ranavirus; RSBI, Red Sea bream iridovirus; SBIV, sea bass iridovirus; SCV, Siniperca chuatsi virus; SFAV, Spodoptera frugiperda ascovirus; SGIV, Singapore grouper iridovirus; SIV, Simulium iridescent virus; SOV, Sciaenops ocellatus virus; TFV, tiger frog virus; TIV, Tipula iridescent virus; WIV, Wiseana iridescent virus.

Nucleotide sequence accession number.

The complete SGIV genome sequence has been deposited in GenBank under accession no. AY521625. Accession numbers of 162 annotated ORFs are from AAS18016 to AAS18177, consecutively.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Determination of the SGIV genome sequence.

We set out to generate 8× to 9× genome coverage of the SGIV genome. The bulk of the sequence coverage (2,065 passing reads) resulted from the shotgun library. However, 214 passing reads from the restriction library provided important intermediate-range linking information for assembly. Thirteen contigs ranging from 28,106 to 651 bp were scaffolded with the Contig Express program (CEP) of the Vector NTI suite 7.1. Final gaps were directly sequenced off the genomic DNA with custom synthetic primers and closed by 50 passing reads. In total, 2,329 cycle sequencing reaction products (free of contamination reads) from both random shotgun and restriction libraries were used to assemble the SGIV genome. Most of the genome (98.4%) was compiled by sequencing at least three times. Only 1.6% of the genome was assembled from a single recombinant. One hundred percent of the genome sequence was constructed from sequencing in both directions. Like other iridoviruses, SGIV was made up of a double-stranded DNA which is circularly permuted (30, 11). The whole SGIV genome consists of 140,131 bp with a G+C content of 48.64% (Fig. 1), which is slightly less than that of TFV (55.01%), ISKNV (54.78%), and ATV (54.02%) but substantially more than that of LCDV-1 (29.07%) and CIV (28.63%).

FIG. 1.

FIG. 1.

Organization of the SGIV genome. The SGIV genome is shown in a linear format. A total of 162 ORFs, predicted by the FGENESV program (available through: http://www.softberry.com), supplemented with Vector NTI suite 7.1, are indicated by their locations, orientations, and putative sizes. Blue arrows represent ORFs with known function, while red arrows represent ORFs detected by RT-PCR. “M” represents an ORF whose expressed product was identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Yellow lines represent repetitive sequence regions. The scale is in 5 kbp.

Coding capacity of the viral genomic DNA sequence.

Prediction of presumptive genes was carried out by using the viral gene prediction program under the website http://www.softberry.com supplemented with Vector NTI suite 7.1. One hundred sixty-two presumptive ORFs were identified to code for proteins ranging from 41 to 1,268 amino acids on the sense (R) and antisense (L) DNA strands (Table 1). Computer-assisted analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that 23 of the ORFs share high levels of identity to iridovirus proteins which have been described previously to have specific biological functions. Fifty-one ORFs are homologous to other iridovirus genes, for which the corresponding proteins and their respective functions remain unknown. Additionally, three ORFs show weak homologies to genes of other viruses. Forty-two conserved domains, motifs, or signatures are identified from the NCBI CD-Search database and the PROSITE database (Table 1). A number of genes of SGIV are shown to be present in the ATV, TFV, LCDV, CIV, and ISKNV genomes. These include genes for the DNA polymerase, the DNA repair protein, the two largest subunits of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II, the TFIIS, RNase III, ATPase, etc. (Table 1). There is no evidence of introns, and both strands are shown to contain ORFs. Three pairs of ORFs partially overlap other ORFs.

TABLE 1.

Listing of potential expressed ORFs in SGIV

ORF Nucleotide position (length [aaa]) MWb (kDa) pIc Conserved domain or signatured (CD/Prosite accession no.) Match
Predicted structure and/or functiong
BlastP score % Identity Accession no.e Speciesf
ORF001L 1971-1057 (304) 34.65 9.19 TM
ORF002R 1502-1903 (133) 14.20 8.86
ORF003R 2018-3163 (381) 43.16 8.99 3-Beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (pfam01073) 386 53 AAL77802 TFV054L 3-beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid oxidoreductase-like protein, TM
ORF004L 4332-3235 (365) 41.67 8.26 45 23 AAP33232 ATV053R
ORF005L 5542-4400 (380) 40.40 8.72 Transmembrane amino acid transporter protein (pfam01490) C-type lectin domain signature (PS00615) 76.3 23 AAF61849 Mus musculus N system amino acids transporter NAT-1, TM, SA
ORF006R 5570-6349 (259) 29.15 5.25 324 67 AAP33234 ATV055R Early 31-kDa protein, TM
318 69 CAA07475 EHNV
318 68 AAL77797 TFV025R
261 67 CAA37177 FV3
115 32 NP_078713 LCDV122R
39.3 22 AAL98842 ISKNV118L
ORF007L 7339-6416 (307) 30.12 6.96 TM
ORF008L 7886-7194 (230) 22.15 9.52
ORF009L 8444-7980 (154) 16.43 6.14 TM
ORF010L 8888-8517 (123) 13.61 5.13
ORF011L 9132-8944 (62) 6.63 8.44 TM, SP
ORF012L 12293-9219 (1024) 117.36 9.46 64 35 AAP33240 ATV061R
ORF013R 11173-11595 (140) 14.49 6.08 TM
ORF014L 12773-12348 (141) 15.85 7.98 79 35 AAP33239 ATV060R
ORF015L 13000-12821 (59) 6.57 9.11 33 51 AAP33181 ATV004R TM, SA
ORF016L 14289-13048 (413) 46.26 5.08 325 40 AAP33180 ATV003R TM
70.5 26 AAK82090 CIV229L
ORF017R 13172-13609 (145) 16.07 7.04 TM
ORF018R 14317-15174 (285) 32.32 6.02 178 38 AAP33179 ATV002L
61.2 34 NP_078687 LCDV093R
ORF019R 15196-16224 (342) 36.82 7.44 Poxvirus proteins of unknown function (pfam03003) 381 70 AAP33178 ATV001L TM
Glycoprotein hormones beta chain signature (PS00261) 164 37 NP_078745 LCDV160L
145 33 AAK82199 CIV337L
ORF020L 17246-16278 (322) 35.37 8.66 63.20 40 AAP33250 ATV070L
ORF021L 17725-17306 (139) 16.42 6.19 161 59 AAP33251 ATV071L
149 59 AAK54494 RRV
62.8 35 NP_078640 LCDV036R
ORF022L 18277-17777 (166) 18.57 12.55
ORF023R 17793-18290 (165) 18.22 5.43 TM
ORF024L 18774-18319 (151) 17.15 5.75 45 27 AAP33254 ATV073L
ORF025L 20488-18956 (510) 56.49 7.31 SAP, putative DNA-binding (bihelical) motif (smart00513) 161 53 AAP33256 ATV075L
153 48 AAK54496 RRV
100 36 NP_078703 LCDV110L
ORF026R 20567-22267 (566) 63.32 6.40 375 37 AAP33257 ATV076R TM
78.2 21 NP_078649 LCDV048R
ORF027L 21162-20671 (163) 17.08 8.94 TM
ORF028L 23363-22350 (337) 36.67 7.99 Ig-like domain (PS50385) TM, SP
ORF029L 24445-23447 (332) 36.58 6.42 Neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (KOG3513) TM, SP
Ig-like domain (PS50385)
ORF030L 25635-24610 (341) 37.90 9.07 33 37 NP_041033 EHV 1 Tegument protein, TM, SP
ORF031L 27160-26144 (338) 37.62 8.46 Ig-like domain (PS50385) TM, SP
ORF032L 27516-27391 (41) 4.64 9.82 TM, SP
ORF033L 29760-28726 (344) 37.56 8.75 Ig-like domain (PS50385) TM, SP
ORF034L 30161-29823 (112) 12.66 8.90 TM, SP
ORF035L 31388-30261 (375) 42.26 8.99 Neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (KOG3513) 48.1 25 BAC11344 Homo sapiens Unnamed protein product, TM, SA
Ig-like domain (PS50385)
ORF036L 32515-31526 (329) 37.29 4.95 TM, SP
ORF037L 33696-32668 (342) 37.12 8.77 Neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (KOG3513) 43.1 27 CAA40912 Drosophila melanogaster Fibroblast growth factor receptor, TM, SP
ORF038L 34236-33724 (170) 19.04 9.72 121 64 AAP33260 ATV079L TM, SA
69.3 53 NP_078769 LCDV194R
36.2 41 AAB94443 CIV117L
ORF039L 37417-34262 (1051) 118.22 8.38 Protein kinase domain (PS50011) 425 36 AAP33261 ATV080L TM
176 45 NP_078619 LCDV010L
150 28 NP_078677 LCDV080R
96.3 24 AAK82240 CIV380R
65.1 23 AAL98779 ISKNV055L
ORF040R 36123-36698 (191) 20.51 9.56 TM, SP
ORF041L 37978-37547 (143) 15.24 6.05
ORF042R 38058-38285 (75) 8.47 6.23 TM, SP
ORF043R 38285-40288 (667) 73.66 5.36 179 38 AAP33262 ATV081R
ORF044L 39213-38608 (201) 21.71 9.65 TM
ORF045L 41090-40362 (242) 22.94 9.80
ORF046L 41866-41120 (248) 23.77 9.88
ORF047L 43063-41909 (384) 43.58 5.69 Ribonucleotide reductase, beta subunit (COG0208) 580 71 AAP33216 ATV038R Ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase beta subunit, TM
567 70 AAL77807 TFV071L
331 48 NP_078636 LCDV027R
ORF048L 43489-43214 (91) 10.50 8.73 Caspase recruitment domain (pfam00619) 57 42 AAP33218 ATV040L CARD-like caspase
ORF049L 44002-43535 (155) 17.06 6.58 dUTPase (KOG3370) 123 46 AAL77806 TFV068R dUTPase
120 47 AAP33220 ATV042L
121 40 AAK82298 CIV438L
ORF050L 44695-44033 (220) 23.55 8.68 Tumor necrosis factor receptor domain (cd00185) 82 32 P25119 Mus musculus Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1B precursor, TM, SP
ORF051L 45563-44868 (231) 26.12 7.43 Tumor necrosis factor receptor domain (cd00185) 72 30 AAO89081 Mus musculus Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 14 precursor, TM, SP
ORF052L 48673-45767 (968) 109.88 7.71 Predicted ATPase (COG3378) 1414 69 AAP33258 ATV077L D5 family NTPase, TM
Poxvirus D5 protein (pfam03288) 607 35 NP_078717 LCDV128L
192 39 AAB94479 CIV184R
365 46 AAL98833 ISKNV109L
ORF053R 46254-46832 (192) 20.35 9.99 Lipoprotein lipid attachment site (PS00013) TM
ORF054R 48777-49424 (215) 25.13 4.98 265 68 AAP33259 ATV078R TM
101 34 AAL98780 ISKNV056L
81.3 41 NP_078618 LCDV006L
80.5 27 AAB94419 CIV067R
ORF055R 49447-50169 (240) 22.77 10.65 Collagens (type XV) (KOG3546) 80.9 33 ZP_00122019 Haemophilus somnus 129PT Hypothetical protein
ORF056R 50198-50938 (246) 22.93 6.48
ORF057L 54510-51004 (1168) 131.30 8.83 1176 52 AAP33249 ATV069R TM
1165 52 AAK37740 RRV
340 26 NP_078748 LCDV163R
134 23 AAL98800 ISKNV076L
80.1 31 AAK82156 CIV295L
ORF058R 52463-52876 (137) 13.75 9.22
ORF059L 55000-54560 (146) 16.32 9.10 45 25 AAP33185 ATV008R TM, SP
ORF060R 54967-57879 (970) 109.65 8.98 DNA repair protein, SNF2 family (KOG0390) 1214 61 AAL77795 TFV009L Putative NTPase 1, TM
Helicase conserved C-terminal domain (pfam00271) 1212 61 AAP33184 ATV007L
940 58 AAK53744 RRV
749 42 NP_078720 LCDV132L
414 32 AAL98787 ISKNV063L
81.3 30 AAD48148 CIV022L
ORF061R 57914-58528 (204) 23.26 9.54 Catalytic domain of CTD phosphatases (smart00577) 187 50 AAP33244 ATV064R
TFIIF-interacting CTD phosphatase (KOG1605) 91.7 34 AAL98729 ISKNV005L
76.6 33 NP_078678 LCDV082L
53.5 27 AAK82216 CIV355R
ORF062R 58593-59363 (256) 27.69 5.18 Insulin-like growth factor (smart00078) 91.3 38 BAC67672 Cyanidioschyzon merolae DNA-directed RNA polymerase II largest subunit, SP
Predicted DNA-binding protein (KOG2588)
ORF063L 59278-58649 (209) 22.16 3.88 Transcription elongation factor (COG5164) 56.2 47 XP_220553 Rattus norvegicus Similar to charcot-marie-tooth duplicated region transcript I, TM
ORF064R 59415-61133 (572) 63.72 8.15 Ribonucleotide reductase, alpha subunit (COG0209) 822 68 AAL77800 TFV041R Ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase, alpha subunit-like protein, TM
827 68 AAP33245 ATV065R
636 54 NP_078756 LCDV176L
ORF065R 61268-61510 (80) 9.35 8.85
ORF066R 61603-61845 (80) 8.70 9.30 TM, SA
ORF067L 62482-61907 (191) 21.58 6.49 Mitochondrial thymidine kinase 2 (KOG4235) 158 43 AAP33196 ATV019L Deoxynucleoside kinase, TM
Deoxynucleoside kinase (pfam01712) 96.7 30 NP_078725 LCDV136R
56.2 26 AAF44495 FPV
53.1 25 CAC84464 SFAV-1
48.9 24 CAC84481 HVAV-3c
ORF068L 63334-62516 (272) 29.61 8.59 Immunoglobulins and major histocompatibility complex proteins signature (PS00290) 209 50 AAP33197 ATV020L TM
100 27 AAL98836 ISKNV112R
100 27 NP_078615 LCDV003L
40.4 32 AAK82296 CIV436L
ORF069L 64967-63321 (548) 61.88 9.62 211 36 AAP33194 ATV017R
69.7 21 NP_078643 LCDV039R
ORF070R 64994-65452 (152) 17.03 9.32 Erv1/Alt family (pfam04777) 143 47 AAP33193 ATV016L Thiol oxidoreductase, TM
69.3 32 NP_078699 LCDV106L
65.5 37 AAL98767 ISKNV043L
38.9 26 AAK82208 CIV347L
ORF071R 65483-66307 (274) 31.61 8.58 50 36 AAP33192 ATV015L
ORF072R 66404-67795 (463) 50.53 6.33 Iridovirus major capsid protein (pfam04451) 895 99 AAM00286 GIV Major capsid protein, TM
681 71 AAK55105 TFV096R
676 70 AAO32315 EHNV
675 70 AAP33191 ATV014L
670 71 AAB01722 FRG3V
481 50 AAC24486.2 LCDV147L
417 45 AAK82135 CIV274L
374 43 AAL72276 ISKNV006L
ORF073L 71185-67874 (1103) 123.39 8.28 RNA polymerase II, second largest subunit (KOG0214) 1530 65 AAL77805 TFV065L DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second-largest subunit, TM
1533 65 AAP33221 ATV043R
1295 66 AAK84400 RRV
1018 46 NP_078633 LCDV025L
755 41 AAL98758 ISKNV034R
ORF074R 68472-68738 (88) 9.16 8.52 71 73 AAP33222 ATV043bL
51 47 NP_149893 CIV430R
ORF075R 71239-71775 (178) 19.96 4.50 44.3 37 NP_078763 LCDV185R
ORF076L 72715-71858 (285) 30.35 7.17 Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (KOG3984) 305 50 NP_000261 Homo sapiens Purine nucleoside phosphorylase, TM
ORF077L 73747-72839 (302) 34.12 9.05 TM
ORF078L 76227-73855 (790) 88.16 8.75 Putative lipopolysaccharide-modifying enzyme (smart00672) 552 43 AAL77799 TFV029R Putative tyrosine protein kinase, TM
553 43 AAP33237 ATV058R
231 33 NP_078770 LCDV195R
177 40 AAB94478 CIV179R
ORF079R 74231-74680 (149) 15.13 7.78 TM, SP
ORF080R 75872-76324 (150) 15.93 9.10 TM
ORF081L 76809-76246 (187) 21.79 9.05 198 49 AAL77799 TFV029R Putative tyrosine protein kinase
191 47 AAP33237 ATV058R
143 50 AAK54490 RRV
86.3 32 NP_078770 LCDV195R
70.9 28 AAB94478 CIV179R
ORF082L 77592-76924 (222) 24.32 9.02
ORF083R 77672-79009 (445) 50.48 9.26 308 42 AAP33203 ATV026L TM
ORF084L 80193-79066 (375) 41.64 9.17 dsRNA-specific ribonuclease (COG0571) 294 45 AAL77809 TFV085L Ribonuclease III, TM
Ribonuclease III family (smart00535) 287 45 AAP33202 ATV025R
215 45 NP_078726 LCDV137R
120 35 AAB94459 CIV142R
108 37 AAL98811 ISKNV087R
ORF085R 80251-80529 (92) 10.57 8.27 Transcription elongation factor TFIIS (COG1594) 98.2 55 AAL77810 TFV086R Transcription elongation factor SII
95.9 55 AAP33201 ATV024L
57 60 BAA04187 CV
57 60 AAC96492 PBCV-1
56.6 42 NP_078754 LCDV171R
ORF086R 80591-81055 (154) 17.11 8.08 108 40 AAA43825 FV3 Putative immediate-early protein, TM
100 35 AAB47251 IMRV
100 35 AAP33200 ATV023L
99.8 38 AAL77811 TFV087R
99.4 37 AAB47252 OMRV
ORF087R 81385-82032 (215) 25.22 6.64 SP
ORF088L 84187-82667 (506) 54.01 4.89 546 55 AAK54492 RRV TM
542 55 AAP33230 ATV051L
176 31 AAL98731 ISKNV007L
176 30 BAC66967 RSBI
172 29 NP_078665 LCDV067L
108 29 AAB94444 CIV118L
82.4 26 CAC19148 Ascovirus DpA V4
59.3 21 AAK82318 CIV458R
ORF089L 85420-84248 (390) 45.59 8.17 49.3 23 AAP33232 ATV053R
ORF090L 86627-85506 (373) 43.48 7.74 56 22 AAP33232 ATV053R
ORF091L 87886-86750 (378) 44.54 6.93
ORF092L 89216-88086 (376) 44.12 7.18 33.5 19 AAP33232 ATV053R
ORF093L 90497-89280 (405) 47.59 7.30 43.9 21 AAP33232 ATV053R
ORF094L 91083-90622 (153) 16.24 7.92 TM
ORF095R 90635-91111 (158) 16.61 5.12 TM, SP
ORF096R 91148-91618 (156) 16.88 7.53 Tumor necrosis factor receptor domain (cd00185) 45.4 35 AAB53707 Ranus norvegicus Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 11b Osteoprotegerin, TM, SP
ORF097L 92774-91626 (382) 43.18 9.03 Xeroderma pigmentosum G, N, and I regions (cd00128) 400 51 AAL77816 TFV101R Putative DNA repair protein RAD2, TM
394 52 AAP33187 ATV010L
382 54 AAK53745 RRV
161 33 NP_078767 LCDV191R
130 28 AAL98751 ISKNV027L
128 28 BAA82754 RSBI
94.7 23 AAK82229 CIV369L
ORF098R 92428-93231 (267) 30.51 9.49 191 56 AAP33188 ATV011R TM, SP
187 56 AAK53746 RRV
106 51 CAC19143 Ascovirus DpAV4
102 40 NP_078627 LCDV019R
101 50 AAL98810 ISKNV086L
90.5 42 AAK82168 CIV307L
ORF099R 93244-93492 (82) 9.07 5.13
ORF100L 94153-93740 (137) 14.89 9.13 TM
ORF101R 93753-94694 (313) 35.03 6.13 TM
ORF102L 95007-94774 (77) 8.54 6.93 Ubiquitin/60s ribosomal protein L40 fusion (KOG0003) 134 81 AAD44040 BVDV-2 Polyprotein
Ubiquitin/40s ribosomal protein S27a fusion (KOG0004)
ORF103R 95092-95385 (97) 11.05 5.04 42 46 AAP33269 ATV088L TM, SA
ORF104L 99252-95446 (1268) 139.16 8.30 RNA polymerase II, large subunit (KOG0260) 1477 60 AAL77794 TFV008R DNA-dependent RNA polymerase largest subunit-like protein, TM
1476 59 AAP33183 ATV006R
947 42 AAA92868 LCDV016L
719 37 BAA82753 RSBI
709 37 AAL98752 ISKNV028L
332 31 AAB33907 CIV176R
ORF105R 95498-95731 (77) 8.11 10.02 40 45 AAK82205 CIV344R TM
ORF106R 97298-98146 (282) 29.94 10.94 TM
ORF107R 99308-100453 (381) 39.06 3.90 TM, SP
ORF108L 100309-99329 (326) 33.49 11.74 TM
ORF109L 100305-99400 (301) 27.58 3.54 TM, SP
ORF110L 101067-100504 (187) 21.21 6.29 TM
ORF111R 100766-101533 (255) 29.23 5.47 148 33 AAP33270 ATV089R
56 22 NP_078768 LCDV193L
ORF112R 101588-102655 (355) 34.66 6.09 Collagens (type XV) (KOG3546) 52.4 64 BAB34267 Escherichia coli O157:H7 Putative tail fiber protein, TM, SP
ORF113L 102633-101944 (229) 21.61 6.54 TM
ORF114L 103050-102712 (112) 11.98 8.92 TM, SP
ORF115R 103122-103580 (152) 17.24 6.78 B-Cell lymphoma (smart00337) 40 32 AAF89533 Ovis aries Bak protein, TM
ORF116R 103700-104476 (258) 30.13 9.11 277 58 AAP33272 ATV091R Putative replication factor
144 40 NP_078747 LCDV162L
99.4 33 AAK82143 CIV282R
45.8 26 AAL98785 ISKNV061L
ORF117L 104733-104575 (52) 6.28 8.46
ORF118R 104795-105754 (319) 35.67 8.77 275 55 AAP33268 ATV087R
85 27 NP_078701 LCDV108L
40.4 23 AAK82148 CIV287R
39.3 29 AAL98820 ISKNV096L
ORF119R 105799-106050 (83) 9.09 9.36 36 29 AAP33205 ATV028L
ORF120L 106525-106103 (140) 15.96 8.89 110 47 AAP33204 ATV027R
108 47 AAK84402 RRV
55.5 32 NP_078638 LCDV032R
ORF121R 106615-106869 (84) 9.84 8.23 TM, SP
ORF122L 107599-106967 (210) 24.25 9.48
ORF123L 108740-107652 (362) 41.48 8.65 169 29 AAL13097 RGV9807 TM
169 28 AAP33224 ATV045R
ORF124R 108863-109399 (178) 20.19 6.54 TM, SP
ORF125R 109474-110028 (184) 21.08 5.92 TM, SP
ORF126R 110101-110658 (185) 20.62 8.00 TM, SP
ORF127R 110731-111252 (173) 19.88 7.14 TM, SP
ORF128R 112041-115070 (1009) 114.95 8.63 DNA polymerase family B (pfam00136) 1374 65 AAL77804 TFV063R DNA polymerase, TM
1373 65 AAP33223 ATV044L
644 37 NP_078724 LCDV135R
540 63 AAK54493 RRV
531 34 AAL98743 ISKNV019R
531 34 BAA28669 RSBI
454 34 CAC84133 Iridovirus RMIV (IV22)
362 30 CAC19127 Ascovirus DpAV4
315 31 AAD48150 CIV037L
263 25 CAC84471 HVAV-3c
261 26 CAC19170 SFAV-1
258 68 AAK84401 RRV
ORF129L 115490-115308 (60) 6.68 4.57
ORF130L 116083-115673 (136) 14.89 6.91 TonB-dependent receptor proteins signature (PS00430)
ORF131R 115749-116303 (184) 19.93 4.53 IG-like domain (PS50385) TM, SP
ORF132R 116321-117148 (275) 31.36 9.50 198 48 AAP33263 ATV082R TM
ORF133R 117168-117440 (90) 9.56 3.57
ORF134L 118498-117527 (323) 36.50 8.33 ATPases (smart00382) 428 74 AAL77796 TFV016R ATPase
369 66 AAA43823 FV3
430 74 AAP33264 ATV083L
288 58 NP_078656 LCDV054R
259 53 AAL98847 ISKNV122R
259 53 AAL68652 GIV
259 53 BAA28670 RSBI
259 53 BAA96406 SBIV
259 53 BAA96407 GIV
259 53 AAL68653 GSIV
259 53 AAL68654 LBIV
259 53 AAO16492 LYCIV
259 53 BAA96408 ALIV
217 55 AAL73346 SCV
216 55 AAN77575 SOV
201 56 AAM00905 RSBI
194 42 AAB94422 CIV075L
ORF135L 118885-118547 (112) 12.95 5.98 85 43 AAP33265 ATV084L
33 22 NP_078646 LCDV042L
ORF136R 118946-119260 (104) 11.61 7.66 Possible membrane-associated motif in LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha factor (smart00714) 97.8 61 AAP33206 ATV029R TM
ORF137R 119282-120667 (461) 49.69 10.07 114 35 AAP33207 ATV030R
ORF138L 120907-120713 (64) 7.38 4.72
ORF139R 121013-121324 (103) 11.34 10.02
ORF140R 121397-122311 (304) 32.14 4.85
ORF141R 122567-124558 (663) 69.45 4.59 Extracellular matrix glycoprotein Laminin subunit beta (KOG0994) 80.1 25 AAK01205 Mus musculus Mage-d3, TM
ORF142L 124134-122572 (520) 54.73 3.46 TM, SP
ORF143L 124882-124643 (79) 8.87 8.55 34 49 AAP33212 ATV035L TM, SA
ORF144R 124963-125421 (152) 16.67 9.07 Fibroblast growth factor (KOG3885) 67.8 33 NP_570107 Rattus norvegicus Fibroblast growth factor, SP
ORF145R 125480-125977 (165) 18.07 9.20 Acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor family (cd00058) 47.4 29 NP_032028 Mus musculus Fibroblast growth factor, TM, SP
ORF146L 127052-126078 (324) 36.71 6.72 Predicted E3 ubiquitin ligase (KOG1814) 269 42 AAP33208 ATV031R NTPase/helicase
265 43 AAL77808 TFV078L
105 30 NP_078700 LCDV107R
60.8 35 AAC97709 MSEPV
ORF147L 128221-127187 (344) 39.40 5.49 42 27 AAP33224 ATV045R TM
40 25 AAL13097 RGV 9807
ORF148R 128324-128803 (159) 17.63 6.99 117 45 AAP33210 ATV033L
54.3 28 NP_078659 LCDV059L
ORF149R 128843-129220 (125) 14.59 5.10
ORF150L 130827-129301 (508) 57.28 7.88 283 34 AAP33226 ATV047L Phosphotransferase, TM
171 27 NP_078729 LCDV143L
65.9 35 AAL98737 ISKNV013R
39.7 27 AAK82240 CIV380R
ORF151L 131435-130848 (195) 22.26 6.48 75 35 AAP33227 ATV048L TM
45 29 NP_078686 LCDV091R
ORF152R 131534-132772 (412) 46.57 9.46 DNA or RNA helicases of superfamily II (COG1061) 334 44 AAP33229 ATV050R Helicase, SP
DEAD-like helicases superfamily (smart00487) 328 44 CAB37349 EHNV
324 44 AAK55107 TFV056L
160 30 AAB94470 CIV161L
64.7 24 NP_042815 ASFV
ORF153L 132661-132089 (190) 21.96 8.93 58 30 CAB37350 EHNV 40kDa protein
57 29 CAA58035 FV3
ORF154R 132788-133081 (97) 10.87 9.73 TM
ORF155R 133172-134899 (575) 64.63 5.02 Semaphorins (KOG3611) 135 26 NP_035482 Mus musculus Sema domain, immunoglobulin domain (Ig), and GPI membrane anchor, (semaphorin) 7A; H-Sema K1; Semaphorin K1, TM, SP
ORF156L 135860-135048 (270) 31.12 5.61
ORF157R 135948-136472 (174) 19.73 8.80 180 55 AAP33225 ATV046L
ORF158L 136944-136528 (138) 15.77 6.15
ORF159R 137020-137511 (163) 17.42 9.69 TM, SP
ORF160L 137996-137508 (162) 18.90 5.60 122 40 AAP33238 ATV059R
77.4 37 NP_078685 LCDV090R
ORF161R 138345-138533 (62) 6.96 6.28 TM, SP
ORF162L 139822-138674 (382) 44.12 6.52 407 50 AAP33190 ATV013L Immediate-early protein ICP-46
403 50 AAK53747 RRV
401 49 AAL77815 TFV097R
362 47 PI4358 FV3
131 27 NP_078648 LCDV047L
48.5 29 AAK82253 CIV393L
45.4 20 AAL98839 ISKNV115R
a

aa, amino acid.

b

MW, molecular mass.

c

pI, isoelectric point.

d

Accession numbers starting with PS are Prosite-derived numbers, while those starting with cd, smart, pfam, COG, or KOG are CD-Search within BlastP-derived numbers.

e

Accession numbers are from GenBank or SwissProt database.

f

All species corresponding virus ORFs are listed; only best match is listed if species are not related to virus.

g

Function was deduced from the degree of amino acid similarity to or products of known genes or by the presence of Prosite signatures; TM, transmembrane domains; SP, N-terminal signal peptide; SA, N-terminal signal anchor.

Repetitive regions.

The analysis of the genome showed the presence of 17 repetitive regions distributed throughout the genome. In total. these occupy 2.6% of the SGIV genome, varying in size from 31 to 1,119 bp. These regions encompass eight perfect and nine imperfect repetitive sequences whose match percentages range from 80 to 99% (Table 2). No homologies between those repeats were detected. The base composition of 12 repeats is found to be more than 65% G+C. The longest perfect repetitive region, consisting of 11.4 copy numbers and 63 bp per period, is identified at positions 99529 to 100248 in the genome, where it is situated at the position 277 bp upstream of the start codon of the largest subunit of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (ORF104L). The biological function of these repetitive sequences remains to be determined. However, “junk DNA” intergenic sequences have been found to exert control over recombination, DNA replication, and gene expression. Many repeats act as binding sites for proteins or as structural elements on the level of RNA (35).

TABLE 2.

Positions of repetitive sequences in SGIV genome

Nucleotide position Period size (bp) Copy no. Matches (%) G + C (%)
7019-7062 18 2.4 96 85
11054-11156 51 2.0 96 52
11798-12126 54 6.1 99 69
16006-16132 27 4.7 87 71
17912-18143 36 6.4 96 55
23472-23505 9 3.8 100 53
31605-31635 15 2.1 100 48
41205-41242 18 2.1 90 71
41489-41528 9 4.4 93 75
50701-50751 18 2.8 100 73
58827-58871 15 3.0 100 74
58907-59192 27 10.6 100 74
99529-100248 63 11.4 100 73
102058-102093 18 2.0 100 78
111355-111749 26 15.2 95 65
122638-123756 42 26.6 80 64
138581-138629 17 2.9 100 29

DNA replication and repair.

Iridovirus replication occurs in two phases: a nuclear phase and a cytoplasmic phase. A functional nucleus is an essential cellular component for virus replication. After viral DNA is synthesized in the cell nucleus, the majority of viral DNA is transported to the cytoplasm where the packaging of DNA into the viral capsid occurs (40). SGIV encodes homologs of proteins involved in DNA replication, such as DNA polymerase (ORF128R), DNA repair protein (ORF097L), ATP-GTP binding protein (ORF052L), DNA binding/packing protein (ORF116R), and two helicases (ORF060R and ORF152R) containing highly conserved domains for DNA recombination and repair besides replication (Fig. 2).

FIG. 2.

FIG. 2.

Sequence alignment of selective SGIV ORF060R, ORF152L, and ORF076L with other known proteins. The homologous regions are shaded (black represents identical, grey represents conservative). The positions of the amino acid sequence are indicated on the left of the sequence. (A) Alignment of deduced amino acids of SGIV, ORF060R, accession no. AAS18075; TFV, ORF009L, accession no. NP_571991; ATV, ORF007L, accession no. AAP33184; RRV, accession no. AAK53744; LCDV, ORF132L, accession no. NP_078720; ISKNV, ORF063L, accession no. NP_612285; and CIV, ORF022L, accession no. NP_149485. (B) Alignment of deduced amino acids of SGIV, ORF152R, accession no. AAS18167; ATV, ORF050R, accession no. AAP33229; EHNV, accession no. CAB37349; TFV, ORF056L, accession no. NP_571999; and CIV, ORF161L, accession no. NP_149624. (C) Alignment of deduced amino acids of SGIV, ORF076L, AAS18091; human, Homo sapiens, accession no. NP_000261; cattle, Bos taurus, accession no. AAB34886; and mouse, Mus musculus, accession no. BAB25491.

ORF146L encodes a putative NTPase/helicase-like protein which could be a primase whose continual activity is required at the DNA replication fork. It catalyzes the synthesis of short molecules used as primers for DNA polymerase. ORF025L encodes a putative DNA binding motif—the so-called SAP motif (named after SAF-A/B, Acinus and PIAS)—which is found in a number of chromatin-associated proteins. It binds specifically to DNA elements called scaffold/matrix attachment regions, which are chromatin regions that bind to the nuclear matrix. Two proteins containing the SAP motif, SAF-A and Acinus, are targets of caspase cleavage during apoptosis, followed by chromatin degradation typical of programmed cell death (3). During apoptosis, SAF-A is cleaved in a caspase-dependent way. The cleavage occurs within the bipartite DNA-binding domain, resulting in the loss of DNA-binding activity and the concomitant detachment of SAF-A from nuclear structural sites. On the other hand, the cleavage does not compromise the association of SAF-A with hnRNP complexes, indicating that the function of SAF-A in the RNA metabolism is not affected during apoptosis (10). It may be inferred that the detachment of SAF-A, caused by the apoptotic proteolysis of its DNA-binding domain, could contribute to nuclear breakdown during host cell apoptosis.

Transcription and mRNA biogenesis.

The putative SGIV gene products that are related to DNA transcription comprise the two largest subunits of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (ORF073L and ORF104L), one transcription elongation factor, TFIIS (ORF085R), and one RNase III enzyme (ORF084L; RNase III).

In addition, ORF063L exhibits similarity to one of the rat transcription factors which are important for transcriptional initiation. It may normally act to repress transcription at a variety of loci and may also play a role in chromatin structure or assembly (32). ORF061R encodes a TFIIF-interacting CTD phosphatase motif. It includes an NLI-interacting factor involved in RNA polymerase II regulation. ORF102L contains a fusion protein domain consisting of ubiquitin at the N terminus and ribosomal protein L40 at the C terminus. It also contains a zinc finger-like domain and is located in the cytoplasm (4). Ubiquitin is a highly conserved nuclear and cytoplasmic protein that has a major role in targeting cellular proteins for degradation by the 26S proteosome. It is also involved in the maintenance of chromatin structure, the regulation of gene expression, and the stress response.

Nucleotide metabolism.

Predicted amino acid sequences of proteins required for the nucleotide transport and metabolism contain α and β subunits of ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase (ORF064R and ORF047L), a ubiquitous cytosolic enzyme with a key role in DNA synthesis as it catalyzes the biosynthesis of deoxyribonucleotides. ORF049L encodes a dUTPase which is critical for the fidelity of DNA replication and repair. It also decreases the intracellular concentration of dUTP so that uracil cannot be incorporated into DNA (7). Purine nucleoside phosphorylase, which is involved in nucleotide transport and metabolism and encoded by ORF076L and which exists widely in mammals, was first identified in the family of Iridoviridae (Fig. 2).

Cell signaling.

ORF078L and ORF081L encode two protein kinases that share a conserved catalytic core common with both serine/threonine and tyrosine protein kinases. There are a number of conserved regions in the catalytic domain of protein kinases. The protein corresponding to ORF067L belongs to the family of deoxynucleoside kinases that consists of various cytidine, guanosine, adenosine, and thymidine kinases (which also phosphorylate deoxyuridine and deoxycytosine). These enzymes catalyze the production of deoxynucleotide 5′-monophosphate from a deoxynucleoside.

Immune evasion function.

ORF028L, ORF029L, ORF031L, ORF033L, ORF035L, and ORF131R encode homologs of the immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains. Cellular members of the Ig superfamily include secreted and membrane-bound receptors and cell adhesion proteins (ORF029L and ORF035L) (39). ORF005L encodes a homolog of a mammalian amino acid transporter. It is also comprised of a C-type lectin signature which may bind to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I complex antigens and may promote or inhibit immune activity through intracellular signaling pathways. Thus, it is possible that ORF005L may interfere with normal immune surveillance or host responses (2). ORF068L is composed of an Ig-MHC signature ([FY]-x-C-x-[VA]-x-H). It is known that Ig constant domains and a single extracellular domain in each type of MHC chain are related. These homologous domains are approximately 100 amino acids long and include a conserved intradomain disulfide bond (26). These genes may function in host immune evasion, immune modulation, and aspects of cell and/or tissue tropism or perform other cellular functions (2).

ORF070R encodes a thiol oxidoreductase that impels the formation of disulfide bond. The correct formation of disulfide bonds is important for the folding and function of many secretory and membrane proteins. Organisms from all kingdoms of life have evolved a diverse range of thiol oxidoreductases (21).

ORF155R exhibits homology to mammalian semaphorin homologue. The sema domain occurs in semaphorins, which are a large family of secreted and transmembrane proteins, some of which function as repellent signals during axon guidance. Sema domains also occur in the hepatocyte growth factor receptor (41).

ORF053R encodes a prokaryotic membrane lipoprotein lipid attachment site found in prokaryotes. To our knowledge, this is a first report of this motif in iridovirus. Membrane lipoproteins are synthesized with a precursor signal peptide, which is cleaved by a specific lipoprotein signal peptidase (signal peptidase II). The peptidase recognizes a conserved sequence and cuts upstream of a cysteine residue to which a glyceride-fatty acid lipid is attached (12).

Cellular function.

ORF003L is similar to 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from TFV and other poxviruses. It catalyzes the oxidative conversion of both 3-β-hydroxysteroid and ketosteroids, playing a critical role in biosynthesis of all classes of steroid hormones. ORF130L encodes a TonB-dependent receptor that interacts with outer membrane receptor proteins that carry out high-affinity binding and energy-dependent uptake of specific substrates into the periplasmic space. These substrates are either poorly permeative through porin channels or are encountered at very low concentrations. In the absence of TonB, these receptors bind to their substrates but do not carry out active transport. ORF115R encodes a homolog of a Bak protein, a member of the B-cell lymphoma (32% identity over 152 amino acids). Bcl-2 and related cytoplasmic proteins are key regulators of apoptosis, the cell suicide program critical for development, tissue homeostasis, and protection against pathogens. Bcl-2 family members are essential for maintenance of major organ systems to prevent a cellular apoptotic response to viral infection (1). ORF019R is composed of a glycoprotein hormone β chain signature. The function of ORF019R in the viral replication cycle is unknown.

Phylogenetic analysis.

Iridoviruses are large cytoplasmic DNA viruses where each type has a specific insect or vertebrate host (38). One of the unifying features of this virus group is the presence of a major capsid protein (MCP) that is approximately 50 kDa in size. MCP is a suitable target for the study of viral evolution, since it contains highly conserved domains, but is sufficiently diverse to distinguish closely related iridovirus isolates (34). The amino acid sequences of the known MCPs are used in comparative analyses to elucidate the phylogenic relationships between different cytoplasmic DNA viruses.

ORF072R encodes SGIV MCP. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that SGIV is distinct from all known iridoviruses (Fig. 3), but it is much closer to the genus Ranavirus. Within the MCP, amino acid identities of 73.0 (BIV), 72.8 (TFV), 72.8 (FV3), 72.4 (ATV), and 72.1% (ENHV) are noted. However, it only shows amino acid identities of 52.2 (LCDV), 45.7 (CIV), and 44.4% (ISKNV). This suggested that SGIV is a novel member of the genus Ranavirus within the family Iridoviridae. Generally, viruses with sequence identities within a given gene of less than 80% are considered members of different species rather than strains of the same species (37). The conserved protein sequence of the ATPase was also used to determine the relationship of SGIV with other iridoviruses (Fig. 3). The phylogenic tree of ATPase supports the view that SGIV is a novel species of the genus Ranavirus.

FIG. 3.

FIG. 3.

Phylogenetic relationship of SGIV with representative iridoviruses. The analysis was based on the multiple alignments of the protein sequences of the major capsid protein and ATPase of iridoviruses. (A) SGIV, ORF072R, accession no. AAS18087; ATV ORF014L, accession no. AAP33191; ISKNV, ORF006L, accession no. AAL72276; TFV, ORF096R, accession no. AAK55105; FV3, accession no. AAB01722; EHNV, accession no. AAO32315; LCDV-1, ORF147L, accession no. AAC24486; CIV ORF274L, accession no. AAK82135; CZIV, accession no. AAB82569; RSBI, accession no. AAP74204; WIV, accession no. AAB82568; TIV, accession no. VCXFTI; and SIV, accession no. VCXFSI. (B) SGIV, ORF134L, accession no. AAS18149; TFV, ORF016R, accession no. AAL77796; ATV, ORF083L, accession no. AAP33264; FV3, accession no. AAA43823; SOV, accession no. AAN77575; ISKNV, ORF122R, accession no. 98847; GIV, accession no. AAL68652; RSBI, accession no. BAA28670; SCV, accession no. AAL73346; LCDV, ORF054R, accession no. NP_078656; and CIV, 075L, accession no. AAB94422.

Relationship of SGIV to other iridoviruses.

Conservation of synteny and of gene order can give insights to assess structural conservation among the viral genomes within the family Iridoviridae. Conservation of synteny refers to a pair of genomes in which at least some of the genes are located at similar map positions regardless of the gene order or the presence of intervening genes. When the evolutionary distance is large, scrambling of the gene order and the presence of nonsyntenic intervening genes become frequent (23). Therefore, it is necessary to account for these features when studying iridovirus evolution.

To make comparisons between SGIV and five other iridovirus genomes (ATV, TFV, LCDV, ISKNV, or CIV), we shifted the starting coordinates and set the start codon (ATG) of MCPs as the first base for all viral genomes. We also altered sense and antisense strands on ATV, LCDV, ISKNV, and CIV genomes in order to get the same nucleotide order on MCPs individually. However, none of the annotated ORFs were affected.

Comparing the SGIV genome to the LCDV, ISKNV, or CIV genome does not show possible clustering of genes in spite of the fact that SGIV shares 43, 22, or 29 real or annotated ORFs with the LCDV, ISKNV, or CIV genome, respectively. Although only 20 ORFs of SGIV reveal similarities to those of TFV genomes, it appears that some genes are located at similar map positions. In contrast, comparison of the SGIV genome with those of other iridoviruses shows that SGIV is much closer to ATV than other iridoviruses whose genomes are known. The sequenced genomes of the two closely related iridoviruses SGIV and ATV were compared with emphasis on genome organization and coding capacity (Fig. 4). The genome size and ORF numbers of the SGIV genome are much larger than those of ATV, which has a genome of 106,332 bp and contains 91 ORFs. Seventy-one ORFs of SGIV and ATV showed close homologies. There were some discrepancies in annotation, but inspection of DNA sequences showed that the corresponding genes are always present. Twenty-two corresponding ORFs between these two genomes are putative genes, but all remaining ORFs have no known function (Table 1). At least eight regions of conserved synteny containing more than three genes or annotated ORFs were also examined. Interestingly, TFIIS, RNase III, and one ORF (SGIV 086R, ATV 023L, and TFV 087R) are arranged in succession among SGIV, ATV, and TFV (Fig. 4). This cluster of genes may become a useful gene marker to distinguish unknown viruses from the genus Ranavirus. Scrambling of gene blocks was also observed between these two genomes. Two continuous conserved regions (blocks 4 and 5) in the SGIV genome were located at two separate gene blocks in the ATV genome, in which blocks 2 and 6 inserted. Orthologous genes between SGIV and ATV are quite similar in sequence conservation and also in gene order. Conserved linkages between SGIV and ATV indicate that they evolved from a common ancestor.

FIG. 4.

FIG. 4.

Conserved segments between the SGIV and ATV genomes. Both genomes are linearized and shifted genes encoding MCP as the start point. Only linked genes or annotated ORFs are indicated. Straight lines represent the gene linkages between two species. Black bars indicate the conserved syntenic regions of both genomes.

Identification of SGIV proteins by MALDI-TOF MS and RT-PCR.

Purified viral proteins of SGIV extracted from the lowest band (50% sucrose) were separated by SDS-PAGE (Fig. 5). Thirty-nine clearly defined bands were excised and subjected to reduction, alkylation, tryptic digestion, and mass spectrometric analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Peak lists of tryptic peptide molecular weights of each band were searched against the 162-ORF database of SGIV to identify the proteins and corresponding genes. Twenty-six proteins, covering 5 to 67% of amino acid sequences, were matched with the theoretical SGIV ORF database by using the AutoMS-Fit search program (Table 3). Of those proteins matched in this study, only six are known viral proteins; these are MCP (ORF072R), DNA polymerase (ORF128R), two proteins relevant to DNA replication (ORFs 052L and 060R), RNase III (ORF084L), and tyrosine protein kinase (ORF078L). Several SDS-PAGE bands in the low-molecular-mass area (bands 35 to 39 and molecular masses around 10 kDa) matched ORF052L and ORF060R. However, the molecular weight search scores were quite low, and the identities of these proteins cannot be confirmed from the data. Matching of multiple numbers of SDS-PAGE bands to ORF052L and ORF060R may be explained by possible degradation of these large proteins during virus purification, since no protease inhibitors were used during these procedures. We were able to verify 12 SGIV genes which exhibited homologies to genes from other iridoviruses but whose biological function remain to be established. Another eight SGIV genes of unknown function, showing no homologies to any other viruses, were also verified.

FIG. 5.

FIG. 5.

SDS-PAGE of SGIV proteins. Viral proteins were purified and separated via one-dimensional SDS-PAGE. Thirty-nine visible gel-separated protein bands were excised and digested enzymatically, and their mass spectra were obtained and automatically searched against the SGIV ORF database. Twenty-six proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. However, peptide signals from bands 26, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39 were too low to give satisfactory identification.

TABLE 3.

Identification of SGIV proteins corresponding to ORFs by MS

Band ORFa GenBank accession no. Protein sequence coverage (%) Confirmed by RT-PCR (48 h of infection)
1 039L AAS18054 32 +
2 012L AAS18027 25 +
3 078L AAS18093 20
039L 13
4 060R AAS18075 15
039L 15
5 060R 15
052L AAS18067 8
6 052L 5
7 012L 13
8 069L AAS18084 24 +
9 026R AAS18041 34 +
10 052L 6
128R AAS18143 9
11 072R AAS18087 27
12 016L AAS18031 24 +
093L AAS18108 22 +
13 090L AAS18105 43 +
089L AAS18104 19 +
14 090L 6
15 084L AAS18099 22
16 060R 7
089L 14
17 072R 14
18 072R 12
19 101R AAS18116 24 +
20 046L AAS18061 25 +
21 018R AAS18033 29 +
22 082L AAS18097 47 +
055R AAS18070 37 +
23 055R 67
24 156L AAS18171 30 +
25 160L AAS18175 24 +
26 /
27 075R AAS18090 15 +
28 075R 29
29 075R 33
30 075R 43
31 057L AAS18072 10 +
32 012L 8
125R AAS18140 27 +
33 013R AAS18028 23 +
34 050L AAS18065 16 +
35 /
36 /
37 /
38 /
39 /
a

/ refers to protein bands that did not identify any proteins reliably.

Mass spectrometry is a powerful and a high-throughput technique used to identify proteins. It has been applied to analyze the proteome of white spot shrimp virus (17). The completion of the genomic DNA sequence of SGIV greatly facilitated the discovery of new proteins by the proteomic approach, which proved to be an effective and sensitive way for discovering SGIV proteins. We have analyzed the SGIV proteome by one-dimensional gel. Furthermore, two-dimensional gel analysis will be used later to identify more novel proteins.

All 20 novel genes mentioned above were further checked and verified at the RNA level by RT-PCR. Total RNA (including virus and host) was extracted at 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 48-, and 72-h infective stages. Several genes started transcription early after the cell line was inoculated, 12 h (i.e., ORF090R and ORF093R) (data not shown). All novel genes were detected by RT-PCR after 48 h of infection (Fig. 6). Full lengths of 14 novel genes were amplified by reverse transcriptase and HotStarTaq DNA polymerase (Fig. 6A and 6). However, only partial sequences of ORF012L (2,107 to 3,075 bp), ORF039L (1 to 900 bp), ORF046L (17 to 747 bp), ORF050L (9 to 600 bp), ORF055R (12 to 588 bp), and ORF057L (7 to 832 bp) were amplified (Fig. 6C). Furthermore, RT-PCR products were used for DNA sequencing to confirm their respective authenticity.

FIG. 6.

FIG. 6.

Amplification of 20 novel genes of SGIV via RT-PCR. Total RNA (harvested after 48 h of infection) was isolated by using the RNeasy Mini kit and amplified by using the OneStep RT-PCR kit. Full lengths of 14 genes were amplified (A and B). Partial sequences were acquired from another six genes (C). Lanes C, control; lane M, 1-kb DNA ladder (Promega).

Prediction of potential novel proteins.

The existence of an ORF in genomic data does not necessarily imply the existence of a functional gene. Despite the advances in bioinformatics, it is difficult to predict genes accurately from the genomic data alone (27). Although the genome sequence of the SGIV will ease the problem of gene prediction through comparative genomics, the success rate for correct prediction of the primary structure is still low. Therefore, verification of a gene product by proteomic methods is an important first step in annotating the genome. We predicted the secondary protein structures for these novel or unidentified proteins. Using a protein secondary structure predicting program, PSIPRED (20, 22), for the 20 novel proteins identified by MS in this study, we found that two proteins encoded by ORF046L and ORF050L consisted of random coils. ORF012L encoded a protein containing only α helices. Another 17 proteins were categorized as α/β proteins. The prediction of transmembrane regions and orientation was also done via TMpred on the ISREC server and is listed in Table 1. We intend to elucidate the three-dimensional structures of these novel proteins by analyzing structural biology and their functions by using small interfering RNA and other related technologies.

CONCLUSION

We report a complete sequence of SGIV. Genomic analysis of SGIV provided fundamental knowledge of viral functions, such as DNA replication and transcription, nucleotide metabolism, protein processing, manipulation of cellular responses, and virus-host interaction. We compared the SGIV genome with other five iridovirus genomes at the DNA and protein levels. Besides the conserved and known proteins, we also identified 20 novel proteins by using the proteomic approach. Proteomic analysis showed evidence of novel proteins detected at the posttranscriptional level. Our studies will provide important information on molecular mechanism of virus-host interactions and will have a broad impact on future strategies for the design of specific inhibitors or drugs to control these pathogens in general.

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate Shashikant Joshi for modification of the manuscript. We thank Yunhan Hong for helpful discussions. Swarup Sanjay's suggestions regarding the construction of the shotgun library are acknowledged. We are grateful to Xianhui Wang for advice on mass spectrometry and Yun Ping Lim for her assistance in the bioinformatic work.

This work was financially supported by the grant “Establishment of a Laboratory of Excellence in Aquatic and Marine Biotechnology (LEAMB)” to Choy Leong Hew.

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