MAYARO VIRUS PROTEINS

Mayaro virus was grown in BHK-21 cells and purified by centrifugation in a potassium-tartrate gradient (5-50%). The electron microscopy anal yses of the purified virus showed an homogeneous population of envelop ed particles with 69 +/- 2.3 nm in diameter. Three structural virus pr oteins were identified and designated p1, p2 and p3. Their average mol ecular weight were p1, 54 KDa; p2, 50 KDa and p3, 34 KDa. In Mayaro vi rus infected Aedes albopictus cells and in BHK-21 infected cells we de tected six viral proteins, in which three of them are the structural v irus proteins and the other three were products from processing of pre cursors of viral proteins, whose molecular weights are 62 KDa, 64 KDa and 110 KDa The 34 KDa protein was the first viral protein sinthesized at 5 hours post-infection in both cell lines studied.