Determination of subcellular localization of Betanodavirus B2

To analyze subcellular localization of betanodavirus protein B2, a plasmid expressing Betanodavirus protein B2 fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP-Nl) was constructed. The transient expression of full-length B2 fused to EGFP in GF cells confirmed the equal distribution of protein B2 between cytoplasm and nucleus. However, transfection of N-terminal half of the B2 revealed that this truncated form predominantly localized to the cytoplasm. By using several deletion mutants and point mutants, we determined the regions and/or motif responsible for the subcellular localization of betanodavirus.