HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Donatelli, I. Articles by Mancini, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Donatelli, I. Articles by Mancini, G. Agricola Articles by Donatelli, I. Articles by Mancini, G.

Comparative Electrophoretic Study of Polypeptides of Influenza A/H3N2 Viruses Isolated in Circumscribed Geographical Areas

Department of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy

Two distinct groups of influenza A/H3N2 viruses, closely related to A/Bangkok/1/79 and to A/Belgium/2/81, have been chosen from viruses isolated in Italy during 1981 to 1983 with the aim of analysing the biochemical composition of their polypeptides. The strains of each group have shown differences in electrophoretic migration rates in one or more proteins in comparison to the prototype viruses. Polypeptide mobility variations among isolates from circumscribed geographical areas and from single outbreaks have also been observed. In particular, there was a high degree of variability in the NS1 protein. The detection of biochemical differences among identical antigenic variants, probably the result of point mutations in polypeptide sequences or of genetic reassortment among different co-circulating human viruses, is a further expression of the peculiar ability of the influenza A virus to exhibit variation in internal proteins during its circulation.

Keywords: influenza A virus, polypeptides, electrophoretic heterogeneity

Received 30 August 1984; accepted 14 November 1984.