THE GLYCOPROTEIN GENES AND GENE JUNCTIONS OF THE FISH RHABDOVIRUSES SPRING VIREMIA OF CARP VIRUS AND HIRAME RHABDOVIRUS - ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER RHABDOVIRUSES

The nucleotide sequences of the glycoprotein genes and all of the inte rnal gene junctions of the fish pathogenic rhabdoviruses spring viremi a of carp virus (SVCV) and hirame rhabdovirus (HIRRV) have been determ ined from cDNA clones generated from viral genomic RNA. The SVCV glyco protein gene sequence is 1588 nucleotides (nt) long and encodes a 509 amino acid (aa) protein. The HIRRV glycoprotein gene sequence comprise s 1612 nt, coding for a 508 aa protein. In sequence comparisons of 15 rhabdovirus glycoproteins, the SVCV glycoprotein gene showed the highe st amino acid sequence identity (31.2-33.2%) with vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV), Chandipura virus (CHPV) and vesicular stoma titis Indiana virus (VSIV). The HIRRV glycoprotein gene showed a very high amino acid sequence identity (74.3%) with the glycoprotein gene o f another fish pathogenic rhabdovirus, infectious hematopoietic necros is virus (IHNV), but no significant similarity with glycoproteins of V SIV or rabies virus (RABV). In phylogenetic analyses SVCV was grouped consistently with VSIV, VSNJV and CHPV in the Vesiculovirus genus of R habdoviridae. The fish rhabdoviruses HIRRV, IHNV and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) showed close relationships with each other, b ut only very distant relationships with mammalian rhabdoviruses. The g ene junctions are highly conserved between SVCV and VSIV, well conserv ed between IHNV and HIRRV, but not conserved between HIRRV/IHNV and RA BV. Based on the combined results we suggest that the fish lyssa-type rhabdoviruses HIRRV, IHNV and VHSV may be grouped in their own genus w ithin the family Rhabdoviridae. Aquarhabdovirus has been proposed for the name of this new genus.