Primary Structures of Hemagglutinin-esterase and Spike Glycoproteins of Murine Coronavirus DVIM

Diarrhea virus of infant mice (DVIM) is a member of murine hepatitis viruses (MHVs). The nucleotide sequences of the genes encoding the hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) and the spike (S) glycoproteins from DVIM were determined and compared with those of other MHVs. The deduced amino acid sequence of the HE protein was most similar to that of MHV-S strain (94% identity), and the S protein sequence was most similar to that of MHV-Y strain (90% identity). The DVIM HE protein has a unique N-linked glycosylation site in addition to other glycosylation sites common to many MHV strains. Unlike in some typical MHV strain, such as MHV-A59 and MHV-JHM, the vast majority of the S glycoprotein molecules in DVIM exist an uncleaved form probably due to several amino acid substitutions around the cleavage site.