Characterization of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of CSFV NS5B proteins expressed in Escherichia coli.

The full-length NS5B protein, and the truncated NS5B proteins of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) resulted from deletion of 24, 36, 65 or 82, amino acid residues at the C terminal were expressed in Escherichia coli cells and purified with a C-terminal hexahistidine tag. In addition to the full-length NS5B protein, those truncated NS5B proteins with deletion of 24, 36, or 65 amino acid residues were demonstrated to have RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity, which was not found in the truncated NS5B proteins with deletion of 82 amino acid residues. Analysis of the template specificity of CSFV RdRp was done containing the different NS5B proteins with RdRp activity. It was shown that the template specificity of the enzyme was not strict with NS5B proteins truncated, suggesting that the C terminal of CSFV NS5B protein was involved in the template specificity of the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis of and prediction of the secondary structure of 3' terminal sequence of the template indicated that the cytidines at 3' terminus and the correct secondary structure of the template were essential to initiation of RNA synthesis by RdRp. Oxidation of the hydroxyl groups of the RNA template revealed that both the de novo initiation mechanism and the template-priming mechanism preference might be employed by the CSFV RdRp.