Sequences of capsid protein VP1 of two type A foot-and-mouth disease viruses

We have sequenced the nucleotides of the regions that encode the capsid protein VP1 of the foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) A5Bernbeuren/1984 and A Iran/1987. Amino acid sequences and secondary protein structures are provided. Both proteins consist of 212 amino acids. The sequences and secondary structures are compared to those of FMDV A22/CCCP/64, a strain previously endemic in the Near East. Nucleotide divergency among the three sequences is highest for FMDV A5Bernbeuren/1984 (18% compared to 13% for each other case). Thirty amino acid divergencies are observed between A22/CCCP/64 and A5 Bernbeuren/1984 or A Iran/1987, whereas the latter two differ by 27 residues. The secondary structures of all three proteins are different. A Iran/1987 is considered to belong to a thus far unknown subtype.