The complete sequence of bluetongue virus serotype 10 segment 3 and its predicted VP3 polypeptide compared with those of BTV serotype 17

The complete sequence of the large RNA segment 3 (L3) of bluetongue virus serotype 10 (BTV-10) has been determined from DNA copies of the viral RNA cloned in the E. coli plasmid pBR322. The L3 viral RNA is 2772 nucleotides long with a single open reading frame of 2706 nucleotides. The L3 predicted primary gene product (VP3) is 103 342 daltons and has a net charge at neutral pH of -5. The sequence of the L3 RNA species differs by 126 point mutations from that of BTV-17 (i.e., 95.5% homology; see M. Purdy, J. Petre and P. Roy, J. Virol. 51, 754-759, 1984). The predicted L3 primary gene products of the two viruses differ by 9 amino acids. These differences correspond to 9 point mutations and represent 0.15% of the sites where nucleotide substitution could cause an amino acid change. By contrast, another 114 point mutations in the genome correspond to 6.5% of the available sites where nucleotide substitutions could be silent (i.e., where a nucleotide substitution may not cause an amino acid change). Three point mutations are in the 3' non-coding region of the RNA species. The quantitative differences between the coding and silent mutations are interpreted as representing the result of gene product conservation.