Cloning And Sequence Analysis Of P And M Gene Of Rabies Virus Isolated In Guangxi

In this study, the cDNA fragments containing phosphoprotein(p) gene and matrix mrotein(M) gene of three rabies virus strains in Guangxi were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) with primers NSM1/NSM2, respectively. The cDNA fragments were cloned and then sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of P and M gene ORF and their deduced amino acid sequence were compared with that of other rabies virus strains and rabies-related virus strains published previously.The nucleotide homology in P gene ORF among three rabies virus strains inGuangxi were 87.2% (GXBM/GXLA), 98.4% (GXBM/GXNIU) and 87.5%(GXLA/GXNIU) and in M gene among these three street strains were 90.1%(GXBM/GXLA and GXLA/GXNIU) and 99.7%(GXBM/GXNIU), which aremuch high; the nucleotide homology between rabies virus strains in Guangxi andfixed strains or rabies-related virus were ranged from 79.9% to 82.8% or from69.7% to 71.0% in P gene, and from 82.8% to 87.8% or from 75.0% to 77.8% inM gene, respectively. The homology of deduced amino acid sequence of P geneamong the three strains are 93.3% (GXBM/GXLA and GXLA/GXNIU) and98.7%(GXBM/GXNIU), and that among M gene are97.5%(GXBM/GXLA and GXLA/GXNIU) and 100% (GXBM/GXNIU) , respectively. These results suggested that genetic relationship in the three strains isolated from different place of Guangxi differ but is rather close. And it is a great difference between strains in Guangxi and fixed rabies virus strains and rabies-related strains.According to the deduced amino acid of P gene and M gene, there are no change in the lysine-rich motif FSKKYKF(which was of critical importance for the N-protein binding competence of the P C-terminal domain), the domain of interaction with the cytoplasmic dynein light chain LC8(a cellular factor implicated in retrograde axonal transport that mediates the RNP transport along the neuron axons) in P gene and the PPXY motif(involved in binding to WW domains of cellular proteins) in M gene among the three rabies virus in Guangxi.