NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF THE LARGE (L) GENES OF PHOCINE DISTEMPER VIRUS AND CANINE-DISTEMPER VIRUS (CORRECTED SEQUENCE)

This paper corrects the previously published sequence of the L gene of canine distemper virus (CDV). Errors in the published sequence (M.S. Sidhu et al., 1993, Virology 193, 50-65) led to frame shifts between r esidues 1021-1032, 1190-1219 and 1645-1650; a deletion of 21 amino aci ds between residues 1684-1705, and a single residue deletion at residu e 1478. Residue 237 is now found to be glycine rather than tryptophan and residue 1626 proline instead of threonine. The sequence of the L g ene of phocine distemper virus (PDV) was also determined. Alignment of the morbillivirus L proteins showed that PDV and CDV are more closely related to each other than to rinderpest virus and measles virus. Two regions of low identity are proposed to function as hinge regions bet ween three highly conserved domains (I-III) in the morbillivirus L pro teins. New sequence motifs have been identified on the basis of conser vation in the morbilliviruses and the Paramyxovirinae.