The complete nucleotide sequence of the outer coat protein, VP5, of the Australian bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 1 reveals conserved and non-conserved sequences

The complete sequence of the outer coat protein, VP5, of the Australian BTV serotype 1 was determined and found to be 1634 nucleotides in length. One single open reading frame of 526 amino acids was observed defining a protein of Mr 59,252 and having a charge of +0.5 at neutral pH. When compared to VP5 of BTV serotype 10 from the United States of America (US) (Purdy et al., 1986, J. Gen. Virol. 67, 957) a homology of 68% at the nucleotide level and 76% at the amino acid level, was observed. However, this conservation at the protein level was more apparent in certain regions of the gene. In four main regions the conservation varied from 83-91% while in the remaining regions the homology dropped to between 56-62%. Many of the amino acid substitutions were conservative in nature, raising the apparent overall homology to 87%. Comparisons of the hydropathy profiles of the two proteins again revealed a remarkable degree of conservation. The importance of these observations is discussed.