Cloning and nucleotide sequencing of bluetongue virus genomes.

This is the 1st report of molecular cloning of bluetongue virus (BTV) gene using DNA recombinant techniques. A number of complete and overlapping clones of BTV genes have been cloned into pBR322 by standard procedures with some modification. The full length clones were confirmed by matching the terminal cDNA nucleotide sequences with those previously determined for the termini of double-stranded genomic RNA (Rao et al., 1983). The complete sequence of the cDNA clone of RNA segment 3 of US serotype 17 as determined by the method of Maxam and Gilbert (1980) has been presented here. The clone is 2,772 nucleotides (1.78 X 10(6) daltons) long excluding the 3' polyadenylic acid sequence and has an open reading frame which encodes a protein of some 901 amino acids (103,412 daltons).