Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) is a prototypical paramyxovirus. The V/P gene of PIV5 encodes two mRNA species through a process of pseudotemplated insertion of two G residues at a specific site during transcription, resulting in two viral proteins, V and P, whose N termini of 164 amino acid residues are identical. Previously it was reported that mutating six amino acid residues within this identical region results in a recombinant PIV5 (rPIV5-CPI؊) that exhibits elevated viral protein expression and induces production of cytokines, such as beta interferon and interleukin 6. Because the six mutations correspond to the shared region of the V protein and the P protein, it is not clear whether the phenotypes associated with rPIV5-CPI؊ are due to mutations in the P protein and/or mutations in the V protein. To address this question, we used a minigenome system and recombinant viruses to study the effects of mutations on the functions of the P and V proteins. We found that the P protein with six amino acid residue changes (Pcpi؊) was more efficient than wild-type P in facilitating replication of viral RNA, while the V protein with six amino acid residue changes (Vcpi؊) still inhibits minigenome replication as does the wild-type V protein. These results indicate that elevated viral gene expression in rPIV5-CPI؊ virus-infected cells can be attributed to a P protein with an increased ability to facilitate viral RNA synthesis. Furthermore, we found that a single amino acid residue change at position 157 of the P protein from Ser (the residue in the wild-type P protein) to Phe (the residue in Pcpi؊) is sufficient for elevated viral gene expression. Using mass spectrometry and 33 P labeling, we found that residue S157 of the P protein is phosphorylated. Based on these results, we propose that phosphorylation of the P protein at residue 157 plays an important role in regulating viral RNA replication.Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), formerly known as simian virus 5, is a prototypical paramyxovirus in the Rubulavirus genus of Paramyxovirinae (4). The paramyxovirus family includes many important human and animal pathogens, such as Sendai virus, mumps virus, human parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, 3, and 4, Newcastle disease virus, measles virus, and emerging viruses, such as Hendra virus and Nipah virus (19). Paramyxoviruses contain nonsegmented negative-stranded RNA genomes, which are encapsidated by nucleocapsid protein (NP). The gene order within the paramyxovirus genomes is 3Ј-NP-P(V/W/C)-M-F-(SH)-HN-L-5Ј, where genes in parenthesis are not found in all species (reviewed in reference 19). The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of paramyxoviruses minimally consists of two proteins, phosphoprotein (P) and the large (L) polymerase protein (11). The L proteins of paramyxoviruses have masses of 220 to 250 kDa. They have the capacity to initiate, elongate, and terminate transcription. In addition, they have the capacity to insert nontemplated G residues at selected sites within viral mRNAs during transcription and to add cap structures to t...