USE OF LAMBDA-GT11 AND MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO MAP THE GENE FOR THE 60,000 DALTON GLYCOPROTEIN OF INFECTIOUS LARYNGOTRACHEITIS VIRUS

To localize the gene encoding the 60 kD glycoprotein (gp60) of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), a library of the ILTV genome was constructed in the lambdagt11 expression vector. Twelve recombinant bacteriophages expressing gp60 epitopes as fusion products with beta-galactosidase were detected by immunoscreening with monoclonal antibodies specific for gp60. The ILTV DNA sequence contained in one of these recombinants lambda24-4 was used as a hybridization probe for mapping the insert sequence on the viral genome. The gene for the gp60 was located at map unit 0.72-0.77 in the unique long region (U(L)) of the ILTV genome. The DNA sequence of the 1.2 kb insert of lambda24-4 containing the gp60 epitope was determined. The majority of deduced gp60 amino acid sequence has no homology with any of the known alphaherpesvirus glycoproteins.