Primary structure and transcription of the genes coding for the two virion phosphoproteins pp65 and pp71 of human cytomegalovirus

Human cytomegalovirus contains a phosphorylated matrix protein of 65,000 apparent molecular weight (65K phosphoprotein; pp65) and a related phosphoprotein of 71,000 molecular weight (pp71). The 65K phosphoprotein is usually by far the most abundant structural component found in culture-grown purified virus particles. This study describes the precise mapping of the genes for both polypeptides, giving the entire nucleotide sequences and the exact positions of the respective transcripts. The 65K phosphoprotein is coded for by the 5'-terminal part of an abundant 4-kilobase (kb) mRNA. The 71K phosphoprotein corresponds to the single translational reading frame of a rare nonspliced 1.9-kb mRNA that is coterminal with the 4-kb transcript. The promoter for 4-kb mRNA appears to be unusual in structure; it does not contain a characteristic TATA sequence. The expression of antigenic epitopes from pp65 may allow improved serodiagnosis of human cytomegalovirus infections.