vig-1, a new fish gene induced by the rhabdovirus glycoprotein, has a virus-induced homologue in humans and shares conserved motifs with the MoaA family

We used mRNA differential display methodology to analyze the shift of transcription profile induced by the fish rhabdovirus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), in rainbow trout leukocytes. We identified and characterized a new gene which is directly induced by VHSV. This VHSV-induced gene (vig-1) encodes a 348-amino-acid protein. vig-1 is highly expressed during the experimental disease in lymphoid organs of the infected fish. Intramuscular injection of a plasmid vector expressing the viral glycoprotein results in vig-1 expression, showing that the external virus protein is sufficient for the induction. vig-1 expression is also obtained by a rainbow trout interferon-like factor, indicating that vig-1 can be induced through different pathways. Moreover, vig-1 is homologous to a recently described human cytomegalovirus-induced gene. Accordingly, vig-1 activation may represent a new virus-induced activation pathway highly conserved in vertebrates. The deduced amino acid sequence of vig-1 is significantly related to sequences required for the biosynthesis of metal cofactors. This suggests that the function of vig-1 may be involved in the nonspecific virus-induced synthesis of enzymatic cofactors of the nitric oxide pathway.