scholarly journals Receptor Binding and Low pH Coactivate Oncogenic Retrovirus Envelope-Mediated Fusion

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (22) ◽  
pp. 11447-11455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marceline Côté ◽  
Yi-Min Zheng ◽  
Shan-Lu Liu

ABSTRACT Fusion of enveloped viruses with host cells is triggered by either receptor binding or low pH but rarely requires both except for avian sarcoma leukosis virus (ASLV). We recently reported that membrane fusion mediated by an oncogenic Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) envelope (Env) requires an acidic pH, yet receptor overexpression is required for this process to occur. Here we show that a soluble form of the JSRV receptor, sHyal2, promoted JSRV Env-mediated fusion at a low pH in normally fusion-negative cells and that this effect was blocked by a synthetic peptide analogous to the C-terminal heptad repeat of JSRV Env. In contrast to the receptor of ASLV, sHyal2 induced pronounced shedding of the JSRV surface subunit, as well as unstable conformational rearrangement of its transmembrane (TM) subunit, yet full activation of JSRV Env fusogenicity, associated with strong TM oligomerization, required both sHyal2 and low pH. Consistently, sHyal2 enabled transduction of nonpermissive cells by JSRV Env pseudovirions, with low efficiency, but substantially blocked viral entry into permissive cells at both binding and postbinding steps, indicating that sHyal2 prematurely activates JSRV Env-mediated fusion. Altogether, our study supports a model that receptor priming promotes fusion activation of JSRV Env at a low pH, and that the underlying mechanism is likely to be different from that of ASLV. Thus, JSRV may provide a useful alternate model for the better understanding of virus fusion and cell entry.

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (21) ◽  
pp. 11133-11141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shutoku Matsuyama ◽  
Fumihiro Taguchi

ABSTRACT The coronaviruses mouse hepatitis virus type 2 (MHV-2) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) utilize proteases to enter host cells. Upon receptor binding, the spike (S) proteins of both viruses are activated for membrane fusion by proteases, such as trypsin, present in the environment, facilitating virus entry from the cell surface. In contrast, in the absence of extracellular proteases, these viruses can enter cells via an endosomal pathway and utilize endosomal cathepsins for S protein activation. We demonstrate that the MHV-2 S protein uses multistep conformational changes for membrane fusion. After interaction with a soluble form of the MHV receptor (CEACAM1a), the metastable form of S protein is converted to a stable trimer, as revealed by mildly denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Liposome-binding assays indicate that the receptor-bound virions are associated with the target membrane through hydrophobic interactions. The exposure of receptor-bound S protein to trypsin or cathepsin L (CPL) induces the formation of six-helix bundles (6HB), the final conformation. This trypsin- or CPL-mediated conversion to 6HB can be blocked by a heptad repeat peptide known to block the formation of 6HB. Although trypsin treatment enabled receptor-bound MHV-2 to enter from the cell surface, CPL failed to do so. Interestingly, consecutive treatment with CPL and then chlorpromazine enabled a portion of the virus to enter from cell surface. These results suggest that trypsin suffices for the induction of membrane fusion of receptor-primed S protein, but an additional unidentified cellular factor is required to trigger membrane fusion by CPL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 553
Author(s):  
Bin Gao ◽  
Shunyi Zhu

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID−19) elicited by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS−CoV−2) is calling for novel targeted drugs. Since the viral entry into host cells depends on specific interactions between the receptor−binding domain (RBD) of the viral Spike protein and the membrane−bound monocarboxypeptidase angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the development of high affinity RBD binders to compete with human ACE2 represents a promising strategy for the design of therapeutics to prevent viral entry. Here, we report the discovery of such a binder and its improvement via a combination of computational and experimental approaches. The binder micasin, a known fungal defensin from the dermatophytic fungus Microsporum canis with antibacterial activity, can dock to the crevice formed by the receptor−binding motif (RBM) of RBD via an extensive shape complementarity interface (855.9 Å2 in area) with numerous hydrophobic and hydrogen−bonding interactions. Using microscale thermophoresis (MST) technique, we confirmed that micasin and its C−terminal γ−core derivative with multiple predicted interacting residues exhibited a low micromolar affinity to RBD. Expanding the interface area of micasin through a single point mutation to 970.5 Å2 accompanying an enhanced hydrogen bond network significantly improved its binding affinity by six−fold. Our work highlights the naturally occurring fungal defensins as an emerging resource that may be suitable for the development into antiviral agents for COVID−19.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 3289-3296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Choong-Tat Keng ◽  
Aihua Zhang ◽  
Shuo Shen ◽  
Kuo-Ming Lip ◽  
Burtram C. Fielding ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The spike (S) protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) interacts with cellular receptors to mediate membrane fusion, allowing viral entry into host cells; hence it is recognized as the primary target of neutralizing antibodies, and therefore knowledge of antigenic determinants that can elicit neutralizing antibodies could be beneficial for the development of a protective vaccine. Here, we expressed five different fragments of S, covering the entire ectodomain (amino acids 48 to 1192), as glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins in Escherichia coli and used the purified proteins to raise antibodies in rabbits. By Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation experiments, we showed that all the antibodies are specific and highly sensitive to both the native and denatured forms of the full-length S protein expressed in virus-infected cells and transfected cells, respectively. Indirect immunofluorescence performed on fixed but unpermeabilized cells showed that these antibodies can recognize the mature form of S on the cell surface. All the antibodies were also able to detect the maturation of the 200-kDa form of S to the 210-kDa form by pulse-chase experiments. When the antibodies were tested for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV propagation in Vero E6 culture, it was found that the anti-SΔ10 antibody, which was targeted to amino acid residues 1029 to 1192 of S, which include heptad repeat 2, has strong neutralizing activities, suggesting that this region of S carries neutralizing epitopes and is very important for virus entry into cells.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 3058-3066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Earp ◽  
Sue E. Delos ◽  
Robert C. Netter ◽  
Paul Bates ◽  
Judith M. White

ABSTRACT We previously showed that the envelope glycoprotein (EnvA) of avian sarcoma/leukosis virus subtype A (ASLV-A) binds to liposomes at neutral pH following incubation with its receptor, Tva, at ≥22°C. We also provided evidence that ASLV-C fuses with cells at neutral pH. These findings suggested that receptor binding at neutral pH and ≥22°C is sufficient to activate Env for fusion. A recent study suggested that two steps are necessary to activate avian retroviral Envs: receptor binding at neutral pH, followed by exposure to low pH (W. Mothes et al., Cell 103:679-689, 2000). Therefore, we evaluated the requirements for intact ASLV-A particles to bind to target bilayers and fuse with cells. We found that ASLV-A particles bind stably to liposomes in a receptor- and temperature-dependent manner at neutral pH. Using ASLV-A particles biosynthetically labeled with pyrene, we found that ASLV-A mixes its lipid envelope with cells within 5 to 10 min at 37°C. Lipid mixing was neither inhibited nor enhanced by incubation at low pH. Lipid mixing of ASLV-A was inhibited by a peptide designed to prevent six-helix bundle formation in EnvA; the same peptide inhibits virus infection and EnvA-mediated cell-cell fusion (at both neutral and low pHs). Bafilomycin and dominant-negative dynamin inhibited lipid mixing of Sindbis virus (which requires low pH for fusion), but not of ASLV-A, with host cells. Finally, we found that, although EnvA-induced cell-cell fusion is enhanced at low pH, a mutant EnvA that is severely compromised in its ability to support infection still induced massive syncytia at low pH. Our results indicate that receptor binding at neutral pH is sufficient to activate EnvA, such that ASLV-A particles bind hydrophobically to and merge their membranes with target cells. Possible roles for low pH at subsequent stages of viral entry are discussed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 4878-4889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector C. Aguilar ◽  
Kenneth A. Matreyek ◽  
Claire Marie Filone ◽  
Sara T. Hashimi ◽  
Ernest L. Levroney ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Nipah virus (NiV) is a deadly emerging paramyxovirus. The NiV attachment (NiV-G) and fusion (NiV-F) envelope glycoproteins mediate both syncytium formation and viral entry. Specific N-glycans on paramyxovirus fusion proteins are generally required for proper conformational integrity and biological function. However, removal of individual N-glycans on NiV-F had little negative effect on processing or fusogenicity and has even resulted in slightly increased fusogenicity. Here, we report that in both syncytium formation and viral entry assays, removal of multiple N-glycans on NiV-F resulted in marked increases in fusogenicity (>5-fold) but also resulted in increased sensitivity to neutralization by NiV-F-specific antisera. The mechanism underlying the hyperfusogenicity of these NiV-F N-glycan mutants is likely due to more-robust six-helix bundle formation, as these mutants showed increased fusion kinetics and were more resistant to neutralization by a fusion-inhibitory reagent based on the C-terminal heptad repeat region of NiV-F. Finally, we demonstrate that the fusogenicities of the NiV-F N-glycan mutants were inversely correlated with the relative avidities of NiV-F's interactions with NiV-G, providing support for the attachment protein “displacement” model of paramyxovirus fusion. Our results indicate that N-glycans on NiV-F protect NiV from antibody neutralization, suggest that this “shielding” role comes together with limiting cell-cell fusion and viral entry efficiencies, and point to the mechanisms underlying the hyperfusogenicity of these N-glycan mutants. These features underscore the varied roles that N-glycans on NiV-F play in the pathobiology of NiV entry but also shed light on the general mechanisms of paramyxovirus fusion with host cells.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghwa Kwon ◽  
Robyn Kaake ◽  
Ignacia Echeverria ◽  
Marissa Suarez ◽  
Charlotte Stoneham ◽  
...  

The HIV-1 protein Nef suppresses multiple immune surveillance mechanisms to promote viral pathogenesis1. Individuals infected with HIV-1 encoding defective nef genes do not develop AIDS for decades2,3. A key target of Nef is the cellular receptor CD4. Although essential for viral entry into host cells, CD4 is problematic for the virus later in its replication cycle: CD4 disrupts processing of the viral glycoprotein, Env, inhibiting infectivity4; it interferes with the release of new virions5,6; and it causes vulnerability to superinfection, causing premature cell death and limiting viral productivity7. Furthermore, binding of CD4 to Env exposes otherwise-concealed Env epitopes, rendering infected cells more susceptible to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and virus particles more susceptible to neutralizing antibodies8-10. HIV-1 has evolved strategies to mitigate these problems. Newly synthesized CD4 is targeted in the endoplasmic reticulum by the viral Vpu protein for proteasomal degradation11. Surface-expressed CD4, in contrast, is targeted by Nef for endocytosis and lysosomal degradation12-15. Nef’s effect on CD4 involves hijacking of clathrin adaptor complex 2 (AP2)-dependent endocytosis16,17. Although how Nef associates with a part of the tetrameric AP2 is understood18, a complete understanding of the interaction, especially how CD4 is sequestered by Nef into a complex with AP2, has remained elusive. Here, we present a high-resolution crystal structure that describes the underlying mechanism. An intricate combination of conformational changes occurs in both Nef and AP2 to enable CD4 binding and downregulation. Strikingly, a pocket on Nef previously identified as crucial for recruiting class I MHC is also responsible for recruiting CD4, revealing a potential approach to inhibit two of Nef’s activities and sensitize the virus to immune clearance


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. eabe5575
Author(s):  
Cong Xu ◽  
Yanxing Wang ◽  
Caixuan Liu ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Wenyu Han ◽  
...  

The recent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 pose a global health emergency. The SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike (S) glycoprotein interacts with the human ACE2 receptor to mediate viral entry into host cells. We report the cryo-EM structures of a tightly closed SARS-CoV-2 S trimer with packed fusion peptide and an ACE2-bound S trimer at 2.7- and 3.8-Å resolution, respectively. Accompanying ACE2 binding to the up receptor-binding domain (RBD), the associated ACE2-RBD exhibits continuous swing motions. Notably, the SARS-CoV-2 S trimer appears much more sensitive to the ACE2 receptor than the SARS-CoV S trimer regarding receptor-triggered transformation from the closed prefusion state to the fusion-prone open state, potentially contributing to the superior infectivity of SARS-CoV-2. We defined the RBD T470-T478 loop and Y505 as viral determinants for specific recognition of SARS-CoV-2 RBD by ACE2. Our findings depict the mechanism of ACE2-induced S trimer conformational transitions from the ground prefusion state toward the postfusion state, facilitating development of anti–SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and therapeutics.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 3731-3739 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Balliet ◽  
Kristin Gendron ◽  
Paul Bates

ABSTRACT Short hydrophobic regions referred to as fusion peptide domains (FPDs) at or near the amino terminus of the membrane-anchoring subunit of viral glycoproteins are believed to insert into the host membrane during the initial stage of enveloped viral entry. Avian sarcoma and leukosis viruses (ASLV) are unusual among retroviruses in that the region in the envelope glycoprotein (EnvA) proposed to be the FPD is internal and contains a centrally located proline residue. To begin analyzing the function of this region of EnvA, 20 substitution mutations were introduced into the putative FPD. The mutant envelope glycoproteins were evaluated for effects on virion incorporation, receptor binding, and infection. Interestingly, most of the single-substitution mutations had little effect on any of these processes. In contrast, a bulky hydrophobic substitution for the central proline reduced viral titers 15-fold without affecting virion incorporation or receptor binding, whereas substitution of glycine for the proline had only a nominal effect on EnvA function. Similar to other viral FPDs, the putative ASLV FPD has been modeled as an amphipathic helix where most of the bulky hydrophobic residues form a patch on one face of the helix. A series of alanine insertion mutations designed to interrupt the hydrophobic patch on the helix had differential effects on infectivity, and the results of that analysis together with the results observed with the substitution mutations suggest no correlation between maintenance of the hydrophobic patch and glycoprotein function.


2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (23) ◽  
pp. 12656-12666 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Gallagher ◽  
Wan Ting Saw ◽  
Doina Atanasiu ◽  
Huan Lou ◽  
Roselyn J. Eisenberg ◽  
...  

Viral entry by herpes simplex virus (HSV) is executed and tightly regulated by four glycoproteins. While several viral glycoproteins can mediate viral adhesion to host cells, only binding of gD to cellular receptor can activate core fusion proteins gB and gH/gL to execute membrane fusion and viral entry. Atomic structures of gD bound to receptor indicate that the C terminus of the gD ectodomain must be displaced before receptor can bind to gD, but it is unclear which conformational changes in gD activate membrane fusion. We rationally designed mutations in gD to displace the C terminus and observe if fusion could be activated without receptor binding. Using a cell-based fusion assay, we found that gD V231W induced cell-cell fusion in the absence of receptor. Using recombinant gD V231W protein, we observed binding to conformationally sensitive antibodies or HSV receptor and concluded that there were changes proximal to the receptor binding interface, while the tertiary structure of gD V231W was similar to that of wild-type gD. We used a biosensor to analyze the kinetics of receptor binding and the extent to which the C terminus blocks binding to receptor. We found that the C terminus of gD V231W was enriched in the open or displaced conformation, indicating a mechanism for its function. We conclude that gD V231W triggers fusion through displacement of its C terminus and that this motion is indicative of how gD links receptor binding to exposure of interfaces on gD that activate fusion via gH/gL and gB.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 3488-3499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue E. Delos ◽  
Jesse A. Godby ◽  
Judith M. White

ABSTRACT The avian sarcoma/leukosis virus (ASLV) is activated for fusion by a two-step mechanism. For ASLV subgroup A (ASLV-A), association with its receptor (Tva) at neutral pH converts virions to a form that can bind target membranes and, in some assays, induce the lipid-mixing stage of fusion. Low pH is necessary to complete the fusion reaction. ASLV-A env (EnvA) exists on the viral surface as a trimer of heterodimers consisting of receptor binding (SU-A) and fusion-mediating (TM-A) subunits. As the receptor binding and fusion-mediating functions reside in separate subunits, we hypothesize that SU-A and TM-A are conformationally coupled. To begin to understand the effect of the binding of a soluble 47-residue domain of the receptor (sTva) on this coupling and the subsequent function of low pH, we prepared recombinant proteins representing full-length SU-A and a nested set of deletion mutant proteins. Full-length SU-A binds sTva with high affinity, but even small deletions at either the N or the C terminus severely impair sTva binding. We have purified the full-length SU-A subunit and characterized its interactions with sTva and the subsequent effect of low pH on the complex. sTva binds SU-A with an apparent KD of 3 pM. Complex formation occludes hydrophobic surfaces and tryptophan residues and leads to a partial loss of α-helical structure in SU-A. Low pH does not alter the off rate for the complex, further alter the secondary structure of SU-A, or induce measurable changes in tryptophan environment. The implications of these findings for fusion are discussed.


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