The two morbilliviruses rinderpest virus (RPV) and peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) are closely related and cause severe disease in large and small ruminants, respectively. They show distinct epidemiological patterns and are distinguishable by reciprocal cross-neutralization tests. We have analysed the proteins induced by these viruses in infected cells and have shown that they can be distinguished by a very marked difference in the apparent mol. wt. of the nucleocapsid (N) protein. The N protein of PPRV is almost identical in mobility on polyacrylamide gels to the N proteins of measles virus and canine distemper virus (60K). Several strains of RPV and PPRV from widespread geographical locations were studied and found to show this difference in the N protein.
BarrettT.,
ShrimptonS.,
RussellH.1985; Nucleotide sequence of the entire protein coding region of canine distemper virus polymerase-associated (P) protein mRNA. Virus Research 3:367–372
GargadennecL.,
LalanneA.1942; La peste des petits ruminants. Bulletin des Services Zootechniques et des Épizooties de l’Afrique Occidentale Française 5:16–21
GibbsE. J. P.,
TaylorW. P.,
LawmanM. J. P.,
BryantJ.1979; Classification of peste des petits ruminants virus as the fourth member of the genus morbillivirus. Intervirology 11:268–274
HallW. W.,
LambR. A.,
ChoppinP. W.1980; The polypeptides of canine distemper virus : synthesis in infected cells and relatedness to the polypeptides of other morbilliviruses. Virology 100:433–449
KrishnaswamyS.,
VeerabhadrappaG.1982; Intracellular polypeptides in the rinderpest virus infected cells. Indian Journal of Comparative Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases 3:68–71
ÖrvellC.,
NorrbyE.1974; Further studies on the immunological relationships among measles, canine distemper and rinderpest virus. Journal of Immunology 113:1850–1858
PrakashK.,
AnthonyA.,
RamakrishnanT.1979; Polypeptides of rinderpest virus and virus-specific polypeptide synthesis in infected cells. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 17:1287–1289
RobsonJ.,
ArnoldR. M.,
PlowrightW.,
ScottG. R.1959; The isolation from an eland of a strain of rinderpest virus attenuated for cattle. Bulletin of Epizootic Diseases of Africa 7:97–102
SatoT. A.,
HayamiM.,
YamanouchiR.1981; Analysis of structural proteins of measles, canine distemper and rinderpest viruses. Japanese Journal of Medical Sciences and Biology 34:355–364