Abstract: Binding assays with purified proteins expressed in Escherichia coli and cytoplasmic extracts from cells infected with a virus that does not produce the 14-kDa protein during infection (VVindA27L) show that the 21-kDa protein (encoded by the
A17L gene) is the specific viral binding partner and identify the putative Leu zipper, the predicted third alpha-helix on the C terminus of the 14-kDa protein, as the region involved in protein binding.
Abstract: The vaccinia virus 14-kDa protein (encoded by the
A27L gene) plays an important role in the biology of the virus, acting in virus-to-cell and cell-to-cell fusions.