scholarly journals Crystal structure of Senecavirus A 3C protease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiwen Meng ◽  
Lijie Zhang ◽  
Geng Meng

AbstractSenecavirus A (SVA), an emerging picornavirus in porcine population, could infect porcines of all age group and cause FMD-like symptoms. Picornaviridae, a group of RNA viruses do harm to both human and stocks; however, most of picornaviruses are lack of effective vaccines and drugs. Picornaviral 3C protease (3Cpro), as an important role in virus maturation, they basically take charge of poly-protein cleavaging, RNA replication, and multiple interventions on host cells. In this study, we successfully solved the crystal structure of 3Cpro at 1.9 Å resolution. The results showed several differences of the binding groove within picornaviral 3Cpro, and prompted that the accommodate ability of the pocket may associate with the cleavage efficiency. The further research on 3Cpro cleavage efficiency based on structural biology, will prospectively provide an instruction on designing of efficient 3Cpro for universally proteolysis in picornaviral VLP production.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuye Yuan ◽  
Tatsuhiko Kadowaki

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is the most prevalent Iflavirus that is infecting honey bees worldwide. However, the mechanisms of its infection and replication in host cells are poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the structure and function of DWV 3C protease (3Cpro), which is necessary for the cleavage of the polyprotein to synthesize mature viral proteins. We found that the 3Cpros of DWV and picornaviruses share common enzymatic properties, including sensitivity to the same inhibitors, such as rupintrivir. The predicted structure of DWV 3Cpro by AlphaFold2, the predicted rupintrivir binding domain, and the protease activities of mutant proteins revealed that it has a Cys-His-Asn catalytic triad. Moreover, 3Cpros of other Iflaviruses and Dicistrovirus appear to contain Asn, Ser, Asp, or Glu as the third residue of the catalytic triad, suggesting diversity in insect RNA viruses. Both precursor 3Cpro with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and mature 3Cpro are present in DWV-infected cells, suggesting that they may have different enzymatic properties and functions. DWV 3Cpro is the first 3Cpro characterized among insect RNA viruses, and our study uncovered both the common and unique characteristics among 3Cpros of Picornavirales. Furthermore, the specific inhibitors of DWV 3Cpro could be used to control DWV infection in honey bees.


Author(s):  
Sari Mattila ◽  
Pirjo Merilahti ◽  
Sarah Wazir ◽  
Tania Quirin ◽  
Mirko M. Maksimainen ◽  
...  

Alphaviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses causing febrile disease. Macrodomain-containing proteins, involved in ADP-ribose mediated signaling, are encoded by both host cells and several virus groups, including alphaviruses. In this study, compound MRS 2578 that targets the human MacroD1 protein inhibited Semliki Forest virus production as well as viral RNA replication and replicase protein expression. The inhibitor was similarly active in alphavirus trans -replication systems, indicating that it targets the viral RNA replication stage.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-457
Author(s):  
Ting Song ◽  
Keke Cao ◽  
Yu dan Fan ◽  
Zhichao Zhang ◽  
Zong W. Guo ◽  
...  

Background: The significance of multi-site phosphorylation of BCL-2 protein in the flexible loop domain remains controversial, in part due to the lack of structural biology studies of phosphorylated BCL-2. Objective: The purpose of the study is to explore the phosphorylation induced structural changes of BCL-2 protein. Methods: We constructed a phosphomietic mutant BCL-2(62-206) (t69e, s70e and s87e) (EEEBCL- 2-EK (62-206)), in which the BH4 domain and the part of loop region was truncated (residues 2-61) to enable a backbone resonance assignment. The phosphorylation-induced structural change was visualized by overlapping a well dispersed 15N-1H heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) NMR spectroscopy between EEE-BCL-2-EK (62-206) and BCL-2. Results: The EEE-BCL-2-EK (62-206) protein reproduced the biochemical and cellular activity of the native phosphorylated BCL-2 (pBCL-2), which was distinct from non-phosphorylated BCL-2 (npBCL-2) protein. Some residues in BH3 binding groove occurred chemical shift in the EEEBCL- 2-EK (62-206) spectrum, indicating that the phosphorylation in the loop region induces a structural change of active site. Conclusion: The phosphorylation of BCL-2 induced structural change in BH3 binding groove.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1086
Author(s):  
Francois Helle ◽  
Lynda Handala ◽  
Marine Bentz ◽  
Gilles Duverlie ◽  
Etienne Brochot

Extracellular vesicles have recently emerged as a novel mode of viral transmission exploited by naked viruses to exit host cells through a nonlytic pathway. Extracellular vesicles can allow multiple viral particles to collectively traffic in and out of cells, thus enhancing the viral fitness and diversifying the transmission routes while evading the immune system. This has been shown for several RNA viruses that belong to the Picornaviridae, Hepeviridae, Reoviridae, and Caliciviridae families; however, recent studies also demonstrated that the BK and JC viruses, two DNA viruses that belong to the Polyomaviridae family, use a similar strategy. In this review, we provide an update on recent advances in understanding the mechanisms used by naked viruses to hijack extracellular vesicles, and we discuss the implications for the biology of polyomaviruses.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 753
Author(s):  
Sneha Singh ◽  
Onkar B. Sawant ◽  
Shahzad I. Mian ◽  
Ashok Kumar

Several RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, can infect or use the eye as an entry portal to cause ocular or systemic diseases. Povidone-Iodine (PVP-I) is routinely used during ocular surgeries and eye banking as a cost-effective disinfectant due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, including against viruses. However, whether PVP-I can exert antiviral activities in virus-infected cells remains elusive. In this study, using Zika (ZIKV) and Chikungunya (CHIKV) virus infection of human corneal and retinal pigment epithelial cells, we report antiviral mechanisms of PVP-I. Our data showed that PVP-I, even at the lowest concentration (0.01%), drastically reduced viral replication in corneal and retinal cells without causing cellular toxicity. Antiviral effects of PVP-I against ZIKV and CHIKV were mediated by direct viral inactivation, thus attenuating the ability of the virus to infect host cells. Moreover, one-minute PVP-I exposure of infected ocular cells drastically reduced viral replication and the production of infectious progeny virions. Furthermore, viral-induced (CHIKV) expression of inflammatory genes (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL1β) were markedly reduced in PVP-I treated corneal epithelial cells. Together, our results demonstrate potent antiviral effects of PVP-I against ZIKV and CHIKV infection of ocular cells. Thus, a low dose of PVP-I can be used during tissue harvesting for corneal transplants to prevent potential transmission of RNA viruses via infected cells.


2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Puckette ◽  
Benjamin A. Clark ◽  
Justin D. Smith ◽  
Traci Turecek ◽  
Erica Martel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) afflicts livestock in more than 80 countries, limiting food production and global trade. Production of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines requires cytosolic expression of the FMDV 3C protease to cleave the P1 polyprotein into mature capsid proteins, but the FMDV 3C protease is toxic to host cells. To identify less-toxic isoforms of the FMDV 3C protease, we screened 3C mutants for increased transgene output in comparison to wild-type 3C using a Gaussia luciferase reporter system. The novel point mutation 3C(L127P) increased yields of recombinant FMDV subunit proteins in mammalian and bacterial cells expressing P1-3C transgenes and retained the ability to process P1 polyproteins from multiple FMDV serotypes. The 3C(L127P) mutant produced crystalline arrays of FMDV-like particles in mammalian and bacterial cells, potentially providing a practical method of rapid, inexpensive FMD vaccine production in bacteria. IMPORTANCE The mutant FMDV 3C protease L127P significantly increased yields of recombinant FMDV subunit antigens and produced virus-like particles in mammalian and bacterial cells. The L127P mutation represents a novel advancement for economical FMD vaccine production.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep Sardanyés ◽  
Andreu Arderiu ◽  
Santiago F. Elena ◽  
Tomás Alarcón

Evolutionary and dynamical investigations on real viral populations indicate that RNA replication can range between two extremes given by so-called stamping machine replication (SMR) and geometric replication (GR). The impact of asymmetries in replication for single-stranded, (+) sense RNA viruses has been up to now studied with deterministic models. However, viral replication should be better described by including stochasticity, since the cell infection process is typically initiated with a very small number of RNA macromolecules, and thus largely influenced by intrinsic noise. Under appropriate conditions, deterministic theoretical descriptions of viral RNA replication predict a quasineutral coexistence scenario, with a line of fixed points involving different strands’ equilibrium ratios depending on the initial conditions. Recent research on the quasineutral coexistence in two competing populations reveals that stochastic fluctuations fundamentally alters the mean-field scenario, and one of the two species outcompetes the other one. In this manuscript we study this phenomenon for RNA viral replication modes by means of stochastic simulations and a diffusion approximation. Our results reveal that noise has a strong impact on the amplification of viral RNA, also causing the emergence of noise-induced bistability. We provide analytical criteria for the dominance of (+) sense strands depending on the initial populations on the line of equilibria, which are in agreement with direct stochastic simulation results. The biological implications of this noise-driven mechanism are discussed within the framework of the evolutionary dynamics of RNA viruses with different modes of replication.


2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis-Marie Bloyet ◽  
Benjamin Morin ◽  
Vesna Brusic ◽  
Erica Gardner ◽  
Robin A. Ross ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Nonsegmented negative-strand (NNS) RNA viruses possess a ribonucleoprotein template in which the genomic RNA is sequestered within a homopolymer of nucleocapsid protein (N). The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) resides within an approximately 250-kDa large protein (L), along with unconventional mRNA capping enzymes: a GDP:polyribonucleotidyltransferase (PRNT) and a dual-specificity mRNA cap methylase (MT). To gain access to the N-RNA template and orchestrate the LRdRP, LPRNT, and LMT, an oligomeric phosphoprotein (P) is required. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) P is dimeric with an oligomerization domain (OD) separating two largely disordered regions followed by a globular C-terminal domain that binds the template. P is also responsible for bringing new N protomers onto the nascent RNA during genome replication. We show VSV P lacking the OD (PΔOD) is monomeric but is indistinguishable from wild-type P in supporting mRNA transcription in vitro. Recombinant virus VSV-PΔOD exhibits a pronounced kinetic delay in progeny virus production. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching demonstrates that PΔOD diffuses 6-fold more rapidly than the wild type within viral replication compartments. A well-characterized defective interfering particle of VSV (DI-T) that is only competent for RNA replication requires significantly higher levels of N to drive RNA replication in the presence of PΔOD. We conclude P oligomerization is not required for mRNA synthesis but enhances genome replication by facilitating RNA encapsidation. IMPORTANCE All NNS RNA viruses, including the human pathogens rabies, measles, respiratory syncytial virus, Nipah, and Ebola, possess an essential L-protein cofactor, required to access the N-RNA template and coordinate the various enzymatic activities of L. The polymerase cofactors share a similar modular organization of a soluble N-binding domain and a template-binding domain separated by a central oligomerization domain. Using a prototype of NNS RNA virus gene expression, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), we determined the importance of P oligomerization. We find that oligomerization of VSV P is not required for any step of viral mRNA synthesis but is required for efficient RNA replication. We present evidence that this likely occurs through the stage of loading soluble N onto the nascent RNA strand as it exits the polymerase during RNA replication. Interfering with the oligomerization of P may represent a general strategy to interfere with NNS RNA virus replication.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. eabc4149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Popgeorgiev ◽  
Jaison D Sa ◽  
Lea Jabbour ◽  
Suresh Banjara ◽  
Trang Thi Minh Nguyen ◽  
...  

In metazoans, Bcl-2 family proteins are major regulators of mitochondrially mediated apoptosis; however, their evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we describe the molecular characterization of the four members of the Bcl-2 family in the most primitive metazoan, Trichoplax adhaerens. All four trBcl-2 homologs are multimotif Bcl-2 group, with trBcl-2L1 and trBcl-2L2 being highly divergent antiapoptotic Bcl-2 members, whereas trBcl-2L3 and trBcl-2L4 are homologs of proapoptotic Bax and Bak, respectively. trBax expression permeabilizes the mitochondrial outer membrane, while trBak operates as a BH3-only sensitizer repressing antiapoptotic activities of trBcl-2L1 and trBcl-2L2. The crystal structure of a trBcl-2L2:trBak BH3 complex reveals that trBcl-2L2 uses the canonical Bcl-2 ligand binding groove to sequester trBak BH3, indicating that the structural basis for apoptosis control is conserved from T. adhaerens to mammals. Finally, we demonstrate that both trBax and trBak BH3 peptides bind selectively to human Bcl-2 homologs to sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (16) ◽  
pp. 4147-4152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron H. Nile ◽  
Susmith Mukund ◽  
Karen Stanger ◽  
Weiru Wang ◽  
Rami N. Hannoush

Frizzled (FZD) receptors mediate Wnt signaling in diverse processes ranging from bone growth to stem cell activity. Moreover, high FZD receptor expression at the cell surface contributes to overactive Wnt signaling in subsets of pancreatic, ovarian, gastric, and colorectal tumors. Despite the progress in biochemical understanding of Wnt–FZD receptor interactions, the molecular basis for recognition of Wnt cis-unsaturated fatty acyl groups by the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of FZD receptors remains elusive. Here, we determined a crystal structure of human FZD7 CRD unexpectedly bound to a 24-carbon fatty acid. We also report a crystal structure of human FZD5 CRD bound to C16:1 cis-Δ9 unsaturated fatty acid. Both structures reveal a dimeric arrangement of the CRD. The lipid-binding groove exhibits flexibility and spans both monomers, adopting a U-shaped geometry that accommodates the fatty acid. Re-evaluation of the published mouse FZD8 CRD structure reveals that it also shares the same architecture as FZD5 and FZD7 CRDs. Our results define a common molecular mechanism for recognition of the cis-unsaturated fatty acyl group, a necessary posttranslational modification of Wnts, by multiple FZD receptors. The fatty acid bridges two CRD monomers, implying that Wnt binding mediates FZD receptor dimerization. Our data uncover possibilities for the arrangement of Wnt–FZD CRD complexes and shed structural insights that could aide in the identification of pharmacological strategies to modulate FZD receptor function.


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