scholarly journals Influenza virus RNA polymerase: insights into the mechanisms of viral RNA synthesis

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 479-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aartjan J. W. te Velthuis ◽  
Ervin Fodor
2001 ◽  
Vol 276 (33) ◽  
pp. 31179-31185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayae Honda ◽  
Atsushi Endo ◽  
Kiyohisa Mizumoto ◽  
Akira Ishihama

2006 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1339-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadasuke Naito ◽  
Fumitaka Momose ◽  
Atsushi Kawaguchi ◽  
Kyosuke Nagata

ABSTRACT Transcription and replication of the influenza virus RNA genome occur in the nuclei of infected cells through the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase consisting of PB1, PB2, and PA. We previously identified a host factor designated RAF-1 (RNA polymerase activating factor 1) that stimulates viral RNA synthesis. RAF-1 is found to be identical to Hsp90. Here, we examined the intracellular localization of Hsp90 and viral RNA polymerase subunits and their molecular interaction. Hsp90 was found to interact with PB2 and PB1, and it was relocalized to the nucleus upon viral infection. We found that the nuclear transport of Hsp90 occurs in cells expressing PB2 alone. The nuclear transport of Hsp90 was in parallel with that of the viral RNA polymerase binary complexes, either PB1 and PB2 or PB1 and PA, as well as with that of PB2 alone. Hsp90 also interacted with the binary RNA polymerase complex PB1-PB2, and it was dissociated from the PB1-PB2 complex upon its association with PA. Furthermore, Hsp90 could form a stable PB1-PB2-Hsp90 complex prior to the formation of a ternary polymerase complex by the assembly of PA in the infected cells. These results suggest that Hsp90 is involved in the assembly and nuclear transport of viral RNA polymerase subunits, possibly as a molecular chaperone for the polymerase subunits prior to the formation of a mature ternary polymerase complex.


Cell Reports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 3295-3304.e4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Yongxin Zhang ◽  
Quanjie Li ◽  
Jianyuan Zhao ◽  
Dongrong Yi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aartjan J. W. te Velthuis ◽  
Tatiana G. Zubkova ◽  
Megan Shaw ◽  
Andrew Mehle ◽  
David Boltz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Infections with respiratory viruses constitute a huge burden on our health and economy. Antivirals against some respiratory viruses are available, but further options are urgently needed. Enisamium iodide (laboratory code FAV00A, trade name Amizon) is an antiviral, marketed in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the treatment of viral respiratory infections, but its clinical efficacy and mode of action are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of enisamium in patients aged between 18 and 60 years with confirmed influenza virus and other viral respiratory infections. Enisamium treatment resulted in reduced influenza virus shedding (at day 3, 71.2% in the enisamium group tested negative versus 25.0% in placebo group [P < 0.0001]), faster patient recovery (at day 14, 93.9% in the enisamium group had recovered versus 32.5% in placebo group [P < 0.0001]), and reduced disease symptoms (from 9.6 ± 0.7 to 4.6 ± 0.9 score points in enisamium group versus 9.7 ± 1.1 to 5.6 ± 1.1 score points in placebo group [P < 0.0001]) compared to those in the placebo group. Using mass spectrometry, and cell-based and cell-free viral RNA synthesis assays, we identified a hydroxylated metabolite of enisamium, VR17-04. VR17-04 is capable of inhibiting influenza virus RNA synthesis and is present in plasma of patients treated with enisamium. VR17-04 inhibits the activity of the influenza virus RNA polymerase more potently than its parent compound. Overall, these results suggest that enisamium is metabolized in humans to an inhibitor of the influenza virus RNA polymerase that reduces viral shedding and improves patient recovery in influenza patients. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT04682444.)


1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 7694-7702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Won Oh ◽  
Takayoshi Ito ◽  
Michael M. C. Lai

ABSTRACT All of the previously reported recombinant RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp), the NS5B enzymes, of hepatitis C virus (HCV) could function only in a primer-dependent and template-nonspecific manner, which is different from the expected properties of the functional viral enzymes in the cells. We have now expressed a recombinant NS5B that is able to synthesize a full-length HCV genome in a template-dependent and primer-independent manner. The kinetics of RNA synthesis showed that this RdRp can initiate RNA synthesis de novo and yield a full-length RNA product of genomic size (9.5 kb), indicating that it did not use the copy-back RNA as a primer. This RdRp was also able to accept heterologous viral RNA templates, including poly(A)- and non-poly(A)-tailed RNA, in a primer-independent manner, but the products in these cases were heterogeneous. The RdRp used some homopolymeric RNA templates only in the presence of a primer. By using the 3′-end 98 nucleotides (nt) of HCV RNA, which is conserved in all genotypes of HCV, as a template, a distinct RNA product was generated. Truncation of 21 nt from the 5′ end or 45 nt from the 3′ end of the 98-nt RNA abolished almost completely its ability to serve as a template. Inclusion of the 3′-end variable sequence region and the U-rich tract upstream of the X region in the template significantly enhanced RNA synthesis. The 3′ end of minus-strand RNA of HCV genome also served as a template, and it required a minimum of 239 nt from the 3′ end. These data defined the cis-acting sequences for HCV RNA synthesis at the 3′ end of HCV RNA in both the plus and minus senses. This is the first recombinant HCV RdRp capable of copying the full-length HCV RNA in the primer-independent manner expected of the functional HCV RNA polymerase.


Virus Genes ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Toyoda ◽  
Makoto Kobayashi ◽  
Susumu Nakada ◽  
Akira Ishihama

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 1398-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole C. Robb ◽  
Matt Smith ◽  
Frank T. Vreede ◽  
Ervin Fodor

The influenza virus RNA polymerase transcribes the negative-sense viral RNA segments (vRNA) into mRNA and replicates them via complementary RNA (cRNA) intermediates into more copies of vRNA. It is not clear how the relative amounts of the three RNA products, mRNA, cRNA and vRNA, are regulated during the viral life cycle. We found that in viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) reconstitution assays involving only the minimal components required for viral transcription and replication (the RNA polymerase, the nucleoprotein and a vRNA template), the relative levels of accumulation of RNA products differed from those observed in infected cells, suggesting a regulatory role for additional viral proteins. Expression of the viral NS2/NEP protein in RNP reconstitution assays affected viral RNA levels by reducing the accumulation of transcription products and increasing the accumulation of replication products to more closely resemble those found during viral infection. This effect was functionally conserved in influenza A and B viruses and was influenza-virus-type-specific, demonstrating that the NS2/NEP protein changes RNA levels by specific alteration of the viral transcription and replication machinery, rather than through an indirect effect on the host cell. Although NS2/NEP has been shown previously to play a role in the nucleocytoplasmic export of viral RNPs, deletion of the nuclear export sequence region that is required for its transport function did not affect the ability of the protein to regulate RNA levels. A role for the NS2/NEP protein in the regulation of influenza virus transcription and replication that is independent of its viral RNP export function is proposed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 2337-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Deng ◽  
Frank T. Vreede ◽  
George G. Brownlee

ABSTRACT Various mechanisms are used by single-stranded RNA viruses to initiate and control their replication via the synthesis of replicative intermediates. In general, the same virus-encoded polymerase is responsible for both genome and antigenome strand synthesis from two different, although related promoters. Here we aimed to elucidate the mechanism of initiation of replication by influenza virus RNA polymerase and establish whether initiation of cRNA and viral RNA (vRNA) differed. To do this, two in vitro replication assays, which generated transcripts that had 5′ triphosphate end groups characteristic of authentic replication products, were developed. Surprisingly, mutagenesis screening suggested that the polymerase initiated pppApG synthesis internally on the model cRNA promoter, whereas it initiated pppApG synthesis terminally on the model vRNA promoter. The internally synthesized pppApG could subsequently be used as a primer to realign, by base pairing, to the terminal residues of both the model cRNA and vRNA promoters. In vivo evidence, based on the correction of a mutated or deleted residue 1 of a cRNA chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter construct, supported this internal initiation and realignment model. Thus, influenza virus RNA polymerase uses different initiation strategies on its cRNA and vRNA promoters. To our knowledge, this is novel and has not previously been described for any viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Such a mechanism may have evolved to maintain genome integrity and to control the level of replicative intermediates in infected cells.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 5812-5818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Othmar G. Engelhardt ◽  
Matt Smith ◽  
Ervin Fodor

ABSTRACT Transcription by the influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is dependent on cellular RNA processing activities that are known to be associated with cellular RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription, namely, capping and splicing. Therefore, it had been hypothesized that transcription by the viral RNA polymerase and Pol II might be functionally linked. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the influenza virus RNA polymerase complex interacts with the large subunit of Pol II via its C-terminal domain. The viral polymerase binds hyperphosphorylated forms of Pol II, indicating that it targets actively transcribing Pol II. In addition, immunofluorescence analysis is consistent with a new model showing that influenza virus polymerase accumulates at Pol II transcription sites. The present findings provide a framework for further studies to elucidate the mechanistic principles of transcription by a viral RNA polymerase and have implications for the regulation of Pol II activities in infected cells.


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