Differences between translation products of tick-borne encephalitis virus RNA in cell-free systems from Krebs-2 cells and rabbit reticulocytes: involvement of membranes in the processing of nascent precursors of flavivirus structural proteins.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA was translated in extracts from Krebs-2 cells and in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. In the former system, two polypeptides, p53 and p13, corresponding to envelope (E) and core (C) proteins of the virion, respectively, were synthesized preferentially. In contrast, the major product in reticulocyte lysates was represented by a heterogeneous set of high-molecular-weight polypeptides which did not appear to include p53 or p13. The reticulocyte lysates, however, acquired the ability to produce structural proteins (p53 at least) after addition of purified membranes isolated from the rough endoplasmic reticulum of Krebs-2 cells. On the other hand, the ability of Krebs-2 extracts to generate identifiable viral structural proteins was lost after degradation of membranes by the nonionic detergent Triton X-100. These findings strongly suggest that membrane-dependent processing of protein precursors is involved in the formation of TBEV structural proteins. Evidence has been obtained that only nascent precursor polypeptides can be processed efficiently into structural proteins in the membrane-dependent reaction.