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 infecti ous laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), a library of the ILTV genome was c onstructed in the lambdagt11 expression vector. Twelve recombinant bac teriophages expressing gp60 epitopes as fusion products with beta-gala ctosidase were detected by immunoscreening with monoclonal antibodies specific for gp60. The ILTV DNA sequence contained in one of these rec ombinants lambda24-4 was used as a hybridization probe for mapping the insert sequence on the viral genome. The gene for the gp60 was locate d at map unit 0.72-0.77 in the unique long region (U(L)) of the ILTV g enome. The DNA sequence of the 1.2 kb insert of lambda24-4 containing the gp60 epitope was determined. The majority of deduced gp60 amino ac id sequence has no homology with any of the known alphaherpesvirus gly coproteins.