The virion host shutoff (vhs) gene (UL41) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encodes a virion component that induces degradation of host mRNAs and the shutoff of most host protein synthesis. Subsequently, the vhs protein accelerates the turnover of all kinetic classes of viral mRNA. To identify the vhs (UL41) polypeptide within infected cells and virions, antisera raised against a UL41-lacZ fusion protein were used to characterize the polypeptides encoded by wild-type HSV-1 and two mutants: vhs1, a previously characterized mutant that lacks detectable virion host shutoff activity, and vhs-delta Sma, a newly constructed mutant containing a deletion of 196 codons from UL41. Two forms of the vhs (UL41) polypeptide were identified in cells infected with the wild-type virus or vhs1. Wild-type HSV-1 produced a major 58-kDa polypeptide, as well as a less abundant 59.5-kDa form of the protein, while vhs1 produced 57- and 59-kDa polypeptides that were approximately equally abundant. Although for either virus, both forms of the protein were phosphorylated, they differed in the extent of phosphorylation. While both vhs polypeptides were found in infected cells, only the faster migrating, less phosphorylated form was incorporated into virions. vhs-delta Sma encoded a smaller, 31-kDa polypeptide which, although present in infected cells, was not incorporated into virions. The results identify multiple forms of the vhs (UL41) polypeptide and suggest that posttranslational processing affects its packaging into virions, as well as its ability to induce mRNA degradation.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) is a natural lentivirus pathogen of goats. CAEV, like all members of the ovine/ caprine lentivirus family, has an in vivo tropism for cells of the monocyte/macrophage cell lineage and activation of viral gene expression is observed only following differentiation of monocytes to macrophages. In addition to cells of the monocyte/ macrophage lineage, CAEV and the closely related maedi visna virus of sheep (MVV) can also replicate productively in fibro-epithelial cells derived from synovial membrane of goats (GSM). However, these viruses varied greatly in their ability to replicate in fibroblasts. We studied the biological and biochemical properties of CAEV and maedi-visna virus (MVV) of sheep following inoculation into the three ovine/caprine cell types. Our data showed no substantial differences in virus titers, viral protein biosynthesis, or processing of the viral proteins between CAEV and MVV following inoculation into primary macrophages and GSM cells. However, unlike MVV, CAEV failed to replicate productively in ovine fibroblasts (sheep choroid plexus cells). This correlated with a specific but abnormal proteolytic cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein of the virus. This abnormal proteolytic cleavage represents a novel type of host cell restriction of lentivirus replication.

Ovine and caprine lentiviruses are closely related genetically and antigenically although the diseases that these viruses cause in their respective host animals can vary greatly. In sheep, syndromes consist primarily of interstitial pneumonia with rare occurrences of arthritis and encephalitis, whereas in goats, the disease expresses mainly as arthritis in adult animals with rare cases of encephalitis in newborns. Experimentally, viruses from either sheep or goats can infect animals of the reciprocal species and many field strains of ovine lentivirus have biological properties similar to those of caprine viruses. However, a molecular correlation for the phenotypic differences between ovine and caprine lentivirus strains is unknown. To investigate this, we examined genetic characteristics of two phenotypically distinct North American ovine lentiviruses. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the envelope regions from virus strains 85/34 and 84/28 showed that despite significant biological differences, these viruses are closely related to each other and are genotypically more homologous to caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) than to visna virus of sheep. Furthermore, analysis of the nucleotide substitutions in their env regions indicated that when differences between the two ovine viruses and CAEV were found, the changes often resulted in nucleotides homologous with visna virus. These results suggest that the two field strains of ovine lentivirus may have originated from a cross-species infection of sheep by a CAEV-like virus and, evolution of their genomes toward that of ovine lentivirus may be reflective of adaptation of these viruses to the new ovine host.

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