THE PARAMYXOVIRUS SV5 V-PROTEIN BINDS 2 ATOMS OF ZINC AND IS A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT OF VIRIONS

The paramyxovirus simian virus 5 (SV5) cysteine-rich V protein has bee n shown to be a virus structural protein by analysis of the polypeptid es of purified SV5 virions. In addition, the V protein has been identi fied as a component of the virus nucleocapsid core both by the analysi s of the polypeptides present in radioactively labeled preparations of purified nucleocapsids and by immunoelectron microscopy. Quantitative autoradiography was used to determine that there are similar to 350 m olecules of the V protein in virions. The V protein has been purified from V recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells and by using indu ctively coupled argon plasma atomic emission spectroscopy it was found that each molecule of V binds two zinc atoms. (C) 1995 Academic Press , Inc.