A comparison of complete genome sequences of the attenuated RC-HL strain of rabies virus used for production of animal vaccine in Japan, and the parental Nishigahara strain

In order to establish the molecular basis of the pathogenicity of the atten uated RC-HL strain of rabies virus used for the production of animal vaccin e in Japan, the complete genome sequence of this strain was determined and compared with that of the parental Nishigahara strain which is virulent for adult mice. The viral genome of both strains was composed of 11,926 nucleo tides. The nucleotide sequences of the two genomes showed a high homology o f 98.9%, The homology of the G gene was lower than those of N, P, M and L g enes at both nucleotide and deduced amino acid levels, and the percentage o f radical amino acid substitutions on the G protein was the highest among t he five proteins. These findings raise the possibility that the structure o f the G protein is the most variable among the five proteins of the two str ains, Furthermore, we found two clusters of amino acid substitutions on the G and L proteins. The relevance of these clusters to the difference in the pathogenicity between the two strains is discussed.