@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-83-1-61, author = "Rixon, Helen W. McL. and Brown, Craig and Brown, Gaie and Sugrue, Richard J.", title = "Multiple glycosylated forms of the respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein are expressed in virus-infected cells", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "2002", volume = "83", number = "1", pages = "61-66", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-83-1-61", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-83-1-61", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "Analysis of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein in RSV-infected Vero cells showed the presence of a single F1 subunit and at least two different forms of the F2 subunit, designated F2a (21 kDa) and F2b (16 kDa), which were collectively referred to as [F2]a/b. Enzymatic deglycosylation of [F2]a/b produced a single 10 kDa product suggesting that [F2]a/b arises from differences in the glycosylation pattern of F2a and F2b. The detection of [F2]a/b was dependent upon the post-translational cleavage of the F protein by furin, since its appearance was prevented in RSV-infected Vero cells treated with the furin inhibitor dec-RVKR-cmk. Analysis by protein cross-linking revealed that the F1 subunit interacted with [F2]a/b, via disulphide bonding, to produce equivalent F protein trimers, which were expressed on the surface of infected cells. Collectively, these data show that multiple F protein species are expressed in RSV-infected cells.", }