MOLECULAR BIOLOGICAL STUDY OF VACCINIA VIRUS GENOME - INVESTIGATION OF INTRACELLULAR-LOCALIZATION OF A CONSERVATIVE LATE NONSTRUCTURAL 36K PROTEIN

Investigations of the orthopoxvirus late nonstructural 36K protein are being continued. We cloned and sequenced ectromelia, cowpox, and smal lpox virus 36K genes and compared their structure with those of L-NP, Copenhagen, and WR vaccinia virus strains. The 36K protein was shown t o be highly conserved among the orthopoxviruses studied. Using antibod ies to vaccinia and ectromelia virus 36K proteins, we determined the k inetics of their accumulation in CV-1 cell culture. Electron microscop ic investigations with the use of colloidal gold-labeled Staphylococcu s aureus protein A established that the vaccinia virus 36K protein was located in the viroplast and was not associated with virions or cell structures.