Cloning and molecular characteristic analysis of UL34 gene from duck plague virus CHv strain.

A 831-bp complete open reading frame (ORF) of the duck plague virus UL34 gene (GenBank accession No:EF643562) was isolated in our laboratory by constructing the genomic library of DPV CHv strain.This gene was identified by NCBI ORF finder,dot-blot hybridization,cloning and sequencing.A large number of bioinformatics software was then used to analyze its molecular characteristics.The results indicated that this gene encodes an estimated 276 putative protein,contains the conserved domain of the Herpesvirus UL34-like protein.Phylogenetic tree based on the amino acids sequences showed DPV has a close evolutionary relationship with GaHV-2,GaHV-3,MeHV-1,EHV1,CeHV-9 and HHV3,which classified into the Mardivirus or Varicellovirus,indicating that the DPV should be placed into a single cluster within the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae.An obvious transmembrane region was located between 252-274 amino acids and also has a microbody targeting signal in the C terminal,but without a signal peptide.Four casein kinase Ⅱ phosphorylation sites,four protein kinase C phosphorylation sites,five N-myristoylation sites and one N-glycosylation site were searched in the protein.Most of the total proteins probably situated in the nucleus.The codon usage patterns of the UL34 gene in DPV showed it was a low expression gene with AT-riched at the third position.These results strongly suggested that the UL34 protein of DPV-CHv strain was a tail-anchored type Ⅱ membrane protein,and the expression in Escherichia coli or yeast maybe the better,as well as provide rational and valuable data to elucidate biological function of the gene.