Koonin E V, Gorbalenya A E, Chumakov K M
Institute of Microbiology, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
FEBS Lett. 1989 Jul 31;252(1-2):42-6. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(89)80886-5.
Amino acid sequence stretches similar to the four most conserved segments of positive strand RNA viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases have been identified in proteins of four dsRNA viruses belonging to three families, i.e. P2 protein of bacteriophage phi 6 (Cystoviridae), RNA 2 product of infectious bursa disease virus (Birnaviridae), lambda 3 protein of reovirus, and VP1 of bluetongue virus (Reoviridae). High statistical significance of the observed similarity was demonstrated, allowing identification of these proteins as likely candidates for RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Based on these observations, and on the previously reported sequence similarity between the RNA polymerases of a yeast dsRNA virus and those of positive strand RNA viruses, a possible evolutionary relationship between the two virus classes is discussed.
在属于三个科的四种双链RNA病毒的蛋白质中，已鉴定出与正链RNA病毒的RNA依赖性RNA聚合酶的四个最保守区段相似的氨基酸序列片段，即噬菌体phi 6（囊病毒科）的P2蛋白、传染性法氏囊病病毒（双RNA病毒科）的RNA 2产物、呼肠孤病毒的lambda 3蛋白和蓝舌病毒（呼肠孤病毒科）的VP1。观察到的相似性具有高度统计学意义，从而确定这些蛋白质可能是RNA依赖性RNA聚合酶的候选者。基于这些观察结果，以及先前报道的酵母双链RNA病毒的RNA聚合酶与正链RNA病毒的RNA聚合酶之间的序列相似性，讨论了这两类病毒之间可能的进化关系。
