SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS OF HINDIII Q2 FRAGMENT OF CAPRIPOXVIRUS REVEALS A PUTATIVE GENE ENCODING A G-PROTEIN-COUPLED CHEMOKINE RECEPTOR HOMOLOG

The DNA sequence of the HindIII Q2 fragment near the left terminus of the capripoxvirus (KS-1 strain) genome was determined. The sequence co ntains two complete open reading frames (ORFs) and a part of a third. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of one of these ORFs, Q2/3 L, revealed that this gene has the capacity to encode a protein which is related to members of the G-protein coupled chemokine receptor subf amily, the swinepoxvirus K2R and the human cytomegalovirus US28 ORFs. It has the key structural characteristics of the G-protein-coupled rec eptor superfamily, e.g., seven hydrophobic regions, predicted to span the cell membrane, and the cysteine residues in the first and second e xtracellular loops that are implicated in formation of a disulfide bon d. Southern blot analysis showed that all three species of the Capripo xvirus genus, i.e., sheep pox, goat pox, and lumpy skin disease of cat tle, contain copies of this putative G-protein-coupled chemokine recep tor homologue. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.