Cloning and nucleotide sequence determination of the major envelope glycoprotein (gp55) gene of hog cholera virus (Weybridge).

A 1.7 kb cDNA fragment corresponding to the coding region of the major envelope glycoprotein (gp55) of pestivirus hog cholera (Weybridge) was obtained using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and then cloned into pUC 8. The deduced amino acid sequence of gp55 showed a strong homology to that of HCV strains Brescia (94%) and Alfort (90%), and to a lesser extent to the closely related gp53 of bovine viral diarrhoea virus strain, NADL (65%). Eighteen cysteine residues were identified in the sequenced region, all of which were conserved between the gp55/gp53 sequences. This suggests that although the homology at the protein level may vary, there are strong conformational motifs which are conserved among the pestivirus envelope proteins.