Notes on Genus: Morbillivirus

enveloped spheres

Type member: Measles virus

General Description

The genus Morbillivirus is one of nine genera in the family Paramyxoviridae and contains contains viruses that produce a non-strutural protein C, a hemagglutinin attachment protein and translate protein V from an edited RNA transcript. It is named from the Latin morbus = disease.

Morphology

Virions pleomorphic but usually spherical, enveloped, 150 nm in diameter or larger with spike-like projections.

Genome

Monopartite single-stranded negative sense RNA of about 15 kb. There is no genome-linked protein (VPg) at the 5'-terminus nor a 3'-polyA tail.

Genus Genomic Organization

There are 6 transcriptional elements (mRNA species). Their major ORFs are listed here in their order on the template strand - i.e. from 3' to 5' with respect to the virion strand:

1	N	58 kDa	Coat protein (nucleocapsid)
2	P	54-55 kDa	Phosphoprotein
3	C	20-21 kDa	Non-structural protein from same mRNA transcript as P but in a different reading frame
4	V	32 kDa	Produced from the P transcript by RNA editing: shares the N-terminus of P but then has a frame shift
5	M	38 kDa	Matrix protein
6	F	59-73 kDa	Fusion protein: glycosylated envelope protein
7	H	68-69 kDa	Hemagglutinin attachment protein
8	L	248 kDa	Polymerase

Type Member Genomic Organization