Nucleotide Sequence of the Tick-borne Orthomyxo-like Dhori/India/1313/61 Virus Membrane Protein Gene

The complete nucleotide sequence of the sixth largest segment of ssRNA (RNA-6) of the tick-borne orthomyxo-like Dhori/India/1313/61 virus was determined by using cloned cDNA derived from infected cell mRNA and dideoxynucleotide sequencing of viral RNA. RNA-6 contains 962 nucleotides and is predicted to encode a protein of 270 amino acids with an M(r) of 30,498 in its first open reading frame (ORF). This protein is likely to represent the viral membrane (M1) protein, based on its predicted M(r) of 29,000 (estimated by PAGE), its relatively high abundance in infected cells and amino acid composition analysis. In addition, a second ORF was found which overlaps the M1 protein gene sequence by 327 nucleotides. This additional reading frame, in the +3 frame, potentially can encode a protein of 141 amino acids. However, S1 nuclease analysis of RNA-6 mRNA from infected cells indicated that there was only a single abundant RNA species corresponding in size to the full-length genomic RNA (0.96 kb). Further studies are needed to determine whether expression of the second ORF occurs and how that expression might arise.