Notes on Genus: Marburgvirus

enveloped filaments

Type member: Lake Victoria marburgvirus

Contents

• Members of this Genus
• General Description
• Morphology
• Electron Micrograph
• Genome
• Genus Genomic Organization
• Genome Map
• Type Member Genomic Organization
• All Known Sequences
• Curated Sequences

General Description

The genus Marburgvirus is one of two genera in the family Filoviridae. It is named after the town of Marburg in Germany where the disease was first recognised. The virions are smaller than those of the genus Ebolavirus and their are minor differences in genome organisation.

Morphology

Virions pleomorphic but usually filamentous or bacilliform, enveloped, about 80 nm in diameter and 790nm long (although they may appear longer because of aggregation), with small (10 nm) projections.

Genome

Monopartite single-stranded negative sense RNA of about 19 kb. There is no genome-linked protein (VPg) at the 5'-terminus nor a 3'-polyA tail.

Genus Genomic Organization

There are 7 major ORFs with the RNA polymerase at the 5'-end of the genome and the capsid nucleoprotein at the 3'-end.

Type Member Genomic Organization

There are 7 major ORFs translated from positive sense template RNAs. They are listed here in their order on the template strand - i.e. from 3' to 5' with respect to the virion strand:

1    	NP	78 kDa	Coat protein (nucleocapsid)
2	VP35	36 kDa	Phosphoprotein
3	VP40	34 kDa	Matrix protein
4	GP	75 kDa	Glycoprotein precursor
5	VP30	32 kDa	Virion protein
6	VP24	29 kDa	Virion protein
7	L     	267 kDa	Polymerase