A rabbit poxvirus genomic library contained within the expression vector lambda gt11 was screened with polyclonal antiserum prepared against vaccinia virus nucleic acid-dependent nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase)-I enzyme. Five positive phage clones containing from 0.72- to 2.5-kilobase-pair (kbp) inserts expressed a beta-galactosidase fusion protein that was reactive by immunoblotting with the NTPase-I antibody. Hybridization analysis allowed the location of this gene within the vaccinia HindIIID restriction fragment. From the known nucleotide sequence of the 16-kbp vaccinia HindIIID fragment, we identified a region that contains a 1896-base open reading frame coding for a 631-amino acid protein. Analysis of the complete sequence revealed a highly basic protein, with hydrophilic COOH and NH2 termini, various hydrophobic domains, and no significant homology to other known proteins. Translational studies demonstrate that NTPase-I belongs to a late class of viral genes. This protein is highly conserved among Orthopoxviruses.