@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-83-12-3035, author = "Toriumi, Harufusa and Honda, Yoshikazu and Morimoto, Kinjiro and Tochikura, Tadafumi S. and Kawai, Akihiko", title = "Structural relationship between nucleocapsid-binding activity of the rabies virus phosphoprotein (P) and exposure of epitope 402-13 located at the C terminus", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "2002", volume = "83", number = "12", pages = "3035-3043", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-83-12-3035", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-83-12-3035", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "The structural changes of the nominal phosphoprotein (P) of rabies virus using a monoclonal antibody, mAb #402-13, was investigated. This mAb recognized a linear epitope that was mapped roughly to a C-terminal region of the P protein, ranging from aa 256 to 297. The P gene products were detected by the mAb in immunoblot assays, the products of which were produced either in BHK-21 cells or in Escherichia coli cells. The mAb, however, detected very low levels of P gene products in immunoprecipitation assays. The mAb recognized the nucleocapsid (NC)-associated P proteins but recognized free P protein and free N–P complex produced in the infected cells much less efficiently. When the P proteins were released from the NC, however, they were no longer recognized by the mAb. Similar results were obtained from BHK-21 cells co-transfected with P and N cDNAs. Furthermore, studies with C-terminally truncated P protein mutants revealed that the NC-binding ability of the P protein was dependent on the presence of the C-terminal epitope region. From these results, it is thought that the 402-13 epitope region is concealed when the P protein is present in a free form or free N–P complex but is exposed when it is associated with the NC. The C-terminal epitope region seemed to be essential for the P protein to be associated with the NC but not for the formation of free N–P complexes with newly synthesized N protein.", }