Nucleotide Sequence and Molecular Analysis of the Rhesus Cytomegalovirus Immediate-Early Gene and the UL121–117 Open Reading Frames

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been isolated from many nonhuman primates, including rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). To better understand the molecular biology of rhesus CMV (RhCMV), a 9.2-kb DNA restriction fragment spanning the immediate-early (IE) gene has been molecularly cloned and sequenced. Open reading frames (ORF) have been identified and transcripts mapped for regions corresponding to exons 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the IE1 protein of human CMV (HCMV) and to exons 1, 2, 3, and 5 of IE2. The predicted RhCMV IE1 protein was 29 and 40% identical with the HCMV and African green monkey (AGM) CMV IE1 proteins, respectively, and the predicted RhCMV IE2 protein was 48 and 65% identical with the HCMV and AGM CMV IE2 proteins, respectively. Five additional ORF 3′ to the RhCMV IE gene were identified which contained significant homologies with the HCMV UL121–UL117 ORF. The predicted translation products ranged from 29 to 47% identical with, and 52 to 66% similarity to, the corresponding ORF of HCMV. Conservation of nucleic and amino acid sequences, and colinearity of genes, between primate CMV genomes contribute to a better understanding of primate CMV evolution, regulation, and pathogenesis.