Evidence That the 32,000-Dalton Protein Encoded by Bottom-Component RNA of Cowpea Mosaic Virus is a Proteolytic Processing Enzyme

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Translation of middle-component RNA of cowpea mosaic virus in vitro produced two polypeptides of 95 and 105 kilodaltons (95K and 105K, respectively) with overlapping amino acid sequences, which were specifically cleaved by a protease encoded by the bottom-component RNA. The proteolytic cleavage was studied by the addition of antibodies raised against various bottom-component RNA-encoded proteins to extracts prepared from bottom-component RNA-inoculated cowpea protoplasts. Since antiserum to the 32K polypeptide efficiently inhibited the proteolytic activity of such extracts, although antiserum to VPg or to the 170K polypeptide did not, evidence was obtained which indicates that the 32K polypeptide represents the protease involved. Fractionation of proteolytically active extract by glycerol gradient centrifugation demonstrated that 32K polypeptides do not exist as free proteins but are aggregated to the bottom-component RNA-encoded 170K, 84K, 60K, or 58K polypeptides. Maximal proteolytic activity was observed for 32K polypeptides associated with 170K polypeptides, suggesting that the activity was unstable and confined to newly synthesized molecules.

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