Synthetic oligopeptides, corresponding to an amino acid sequence encoded by a potential Mr 9000 product's open reading frame (ORF-4) at the 3' terminus of the transmissible gastroenteritis virus genome, were used to generate rabbit antiserum. These antibodies produced immune complexes with an Mr 14,000 (14K) polypeptide in infected cells. The 14K product was shown by immune fluorescence to become associated with the cell nucleus, correlating with the onset of nuclear vacuolation, and suggesting a role in pathogenesis for the ORF-4 gene.