scholarly journals Role of Capsid Anchor in the Morphogenesis of Zika Virus

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyoti Rana ◽  
José Luis Slon Campos ◽  
Gabriella Leccese ◽  
Maura Francolini ◽  
Marco Bestagno ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe flavivirus capsid protein (C) is separated from the downstream premembrane (PrM) protein by a hydrophobic sequence named capsid anchor (Ca). During polyprotein processing, Ca is sequentially cleaved by the viral NS2B/NS3 protease on the cytosolic side and by signal peptidase on the luminal side of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To date, Ca is considered important mostly for directing translocation of PrM into the ER lumen. In this study, the role of Ca in the assembly and secretion of Zika virus was investigated using a pseudovirus-based approach. Our results show that, while Ca-mediated anchoring of C to the ER membrane is not needed for the production of infective particles, Ca expression inciswith respect to PrM is strictly required to allow proper assembly of infectious particles. Finally, we show that the presence of heterologous, but not homologous, Ca induces degradation of E through the autophagy/lysosomal pathway.IMPORTANCEThe capsid anchor (Ca) is a single-pass transmembrane domain at the C terminus of the capsid protein (C) known to function as a signal for the translocation of PrM into the ER lumen. The objective of this study was to further examine the role of Ca in Zika virus life cycle, whether involved in the formation of nucleocapsid through association with C or in the formation of viral envelope. In this study, we show that Ca has a function beyond the one of translocation signal, controlling protein E stability and therefore its availability for assembly of infectious particles.

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 3524-3533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Garbutt ◽  
Lok Man J. Law ◽  
Honey Chan ◽  
Tom C. Hobman

ABSTRACT Rubella virus is a small enveloped positive-strand RNA virus that assembles on intracellular membranes in a variety of cell types. The virus structural proteins contain all of the information necessary to mediate the assembly of virus-like particles in the Golgi complex. We have recently identified intracellular retention signals within the two viral envelope glycoproteins. E2 contains a Golgi retention signal in its transmembrane domain, whereas a signal for retention in the endoplasmic reticulum has been localized to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of E1 (T. C. Hobman, L. Woodward, and M. G. Farquhar, Mol. Biol. Cell 6:7–20, 1995; T. C. Hobman, H. F. Lemon, and K. Jewell, J. Virol. 71:7670–7680, 1997). In the present study, we have analyzed the role of these retention signals in the assembly of rubella virus-like particles. Deletion or replacement of these domains with analogous regions from other type I membrane glycoproteins resulted in failure of rubella virus-like particles to be secreted from transfected cells. The E1 transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains were not required for targeting of the structural proteins to the Golgi complex and, surprisingly, assembly and budding of virus particles into the lumen of this organelle; however, the resultant particles were not secreted. In contrast, replacement or alteration of the E2 transmembrane or cytoplasmic domain, respectively, abrogated the targeting of the structural proteins to the budding site, and consequently, no virion formation was observed. These results indicate that the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of E2 and E1 are required for early and late steps respectively in the viral assembly pathway and that rubella virus morphogenesis is very different from that of the structurally similar alphaviruses.


2008 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 681-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghuan Xiao ◽  
Andrew Prussia ◽  
Kuai Yu ◽  
Yuan-yuan Cui ◽  
H. Criss Hartzell

Human bestrophin-1 (hBest1), which is genetically linked to several kinds of retinopathy and macular degeneration in both humans and dogs, is the founding member of a family of Cl− ion channels that are activated by intracellular Ca2+. At present, the structures and mechanisms responsible for Ca2+ sensing remain unknown. Here, we have used a combination of molecular modeling, density functional–binding energy calculations, mutagenesis, and patch clamp to identify the regions of hBest1 involved in Ca2+ sensing. We identified a cluster of a five contiguous acidic amino acids in the C terminus immediately after the last transmembrane domain, followed by an EF hand and another regulatory domain that are essential for Ca2+ sensing by hBest1. The cluster of five amino acids (293–308) is crucial for normal channel gating by Ca2+ because all but two of the 35 mutations we made in this region rendered the channel incapable of being activated by Ca2+. Using homology models built on the crystal structure of calmodulin (CaM), an EF hand (EF1) was identified in hBest1. EF1 was predicted to bind Ca2+ with a slightly higher affinity than the third EF hand of CaM and lower affinity than the second EF hand of troponin C. As predicted by the model, the D312G mutation in the putative Ca2+-binding loop (312–323) reduced the apparent Ca2+ affinity by 20-fold. In addition, the D312G and D323N mutations abolished Ca2+-dependent rundown of the current. Furthermore, analysis of truncation mutants of hBest1 identified a domain adjacent to EF1 that is rich in acidic amino acids (350–390) that is required for Ca2+ activation and plays a role in current rundown. These experiments identify a region of hBest1 (312–323) that is involved in the gating of hBest1 by Ca2+ and suggest a model in which Ca2+ binding to EF1 activates the channel in a process that requires the acidic domain (293–308) and another regulatory domain (350–390). Many of the ∼100 disease-causing mutations in hBest1 are located in this region that we have implicated in Ca2+ sensing, suggesting that these mutations disrupt hBest1 channel gating by Ca2+.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Pantelopulos ◽  
John E. Straub ◽  
D. Thirumalai ◽  
Yuji Sugita

AbstractThe 99 amino acid C-terminal fragment of Amyloid Precursor Protein APP-C99 (C99) is cleaved by γ-secretase to form Aβ peptide, which plays a critical role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The structure of C99 consists of a single transmembrane domain flanked by intra and intercellular domains. While the structure of the transmembrane domain has been well characterized, little is known about the structure of the flanking domains and their role in C99 processing by γ-secretase. To gain insight into the structure of full-length C99, REMD simulations were performed for monomeric C99 in model membranes of varying thickness. We find equilibrium ensembles of C99 from simulation agree with experimentally-inferred residue insertion depths and protein backbone chemical shifts. In thin membranes, the transmembrane domain structure is correlated with extra-membrane structural states. Mean and variance of the transmembrane and G37G38 hinge angles are found to increase with thinning membrane. The N-terminus of C99 forms β-strands that may seed aggregation of Aβ on the membrane surface, promoting amyloid formation. The N-terminus, which forms α-helices that interact with the nicastrin domain of γ-secretase. The C-terminus of C99 becomes more α-helical as the membrane thickens, forming structures that may be suitable for binding by cytoplasmic proteins, while C-terminal residues essential to cytotoxic function become α-helical as the membrane thins. The heterogeneous but discrete extra-membrane domain states analyzed here open the path to new investigations of the role of C99 structure and membrane in amyloidogenesis.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Peschke ◽  
Mélanie Le Goff ◽  
Gregory M. Koningstein ◽  
Norbert O. Vischer ◽  
Abbi Abdel-Rehim ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Tail-anchored membrane proteins (TAMPs) are a distinct subset of inner membrane proteins (IMPs) characterized by a single C-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) that is responsible for both targeting and anchoring. Little is known about the routing of TAMPs in bacteria. Here, we have investigated the role of TMD hydrophobicity in tail-anchor function in Escherichia coli and its influence on the choice of targeting/insertion pathway. We created a set of synthetic, fluorescent TAMPs that vary in the hydrophobicity of their TMDs and corresponding control polypeptides that are extended at their C terminus to create regular type II IMPs. Surprisingly, we observed that TAMPs have a much lower TMD hydrophobicity threshold for efficient targeting and membrane insertion than their type II counterparts. Using strains conditional for the expression of known membrane-targeting and insertion factors, we show that TAMPs with strongly hydrophobic TMDs require the signal recognition particle (SRP) for targeting. Neither the SecYEG translocon nor YidC appears to be essential for the membrane insertion of any of the TAMPs studied. In contrast, corresponding type II IMPs with a TMD of sufficient hydrophobicity to promote membrane insertion followed an SRP- and SecYEG translocon-dependent pathway. Together, these data indicate that the capacity of a TMD to promote the biogenesis of E. coli IMPs is strongly dependent upon the polypeptide context in which it is presented. IMPORTANCE A subset of membrane proteins is targeted to and inserted into the membrane via a hydrophobic transmembrane domain (TMD) that is positioned at the very C terminus of the protein. The biogenesis of these so-called tail-anchored proteins (TAMPs) has been studied in detail in eukaryotic cells. Various partly redundant pathways were identified, the choice for which depends in part on the hydrophobicity of the TMD. Much less is known about bacterial TAMPs. The significance of our research is in identifying the role of TMD hydrophobicity in the routing of E. coli TAMPs. Our data suggest that both the nature of the TMD and its role in routing can be very different for TAMPs versus “regular” membrane proteins. Elucidating these position-specific effects of TMDs will increase our understanding of how prokaryotic cells face the challenge of producing a wide variety of membrane proteins.


2006 ◽  
Vol 401 (2) ◽  
pp. 607-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Callan ◽  
Sandra Bunning ◽  
Owen T. Jones ◽  
Stephen High ◽  
Eileithyia Swanton

TorsinA is a widely expressed AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) ATPase of unknown function. Previous studies have described torsinA as a type II protein with a cleavable signal sequence, a single membrane spanning domain, and its C-terminus located in the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) lumen. However, in the present study we show that torsinA is not in fact an integral membrane protein. Instead we find that the mature protein associates peripherally with the ER membrane, most likely through an interaction with an integral membrane protein. Consistent with this model, we provide evidence that the signal peptidase complex cleaves the signal sequence of torsinA, and we show that the region previously suggested to form a transmembrane domain is translocated into the lumen of the ER. The finding that torsinA is a peripheral, and not an integral membrane protein as previously thought, has important implications for understanding the function of this novel ATPase.


2004 ◽  
Vol 382 (2) ◽  
pp. 501-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa FREIRE ◽  
Cecilia FERNÁNDEZ ◽  
Cora CHALAR ◽  
Rick M. MAIZELS ◽  
Pedro ALZARI ◽  
...  

As part of a general project aimed at elucidating the initiation of mucin-type O-glycosylation in helminth parasites, we have characterized a novel ppGalNAc-T (UDP-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase) from the cestode Echinococcus granulosus (Eg-ppGalNAc-T1). A full-length cDNA was isolated from a library of the tissue-dwelling larval stage of the parasite, and found to code for a 654-amino-acid protein containing all the structural features of ppGalNAc-Ts. Functional characterization of a recombinant protein lacking the transmembrane domain showed maximal activity at 28 °C, in the range 6.5–7.5 pH units and in the presence of Cu2+. In addition, it transferred GalNAc to a broad range of substrate peptides, derived from human mucins and O-glycosylated parasite proteins, including acceptors containing only serine or only threonine residues. Interestingly, the C-terminal region of Eg-ppGalNAc-T1 bears a highly unusual lectin domain, considerably longer than the one from other members of the family, and including only one of the three ricin B repeats generally present in ppGalNAc-Ts. Furthermore, a search for conserved domains within the protein C-terminus identified a fragment showing similarity to a recently defined domain, specialized in the binding of organic phosphates (CYTH). The role of the lectin domain in the determination of the substrate specificity of these enzymes suggests that Eg-ppGalNAc-T1 would be involved in the glycosylation of a special type of substrate. Analysis of the tissue distribution by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry revealed that this transferase is expressed in the hydatid cyst wall and the subtegumental region of larval worms. Therefore it could participate in the biosynthesis of O-glycosylated parasite proteins exposed at the interface between E. granulosus and its hosts.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (22) ◽  
pp. 10480-10488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Pekosz ◽  
Robert A. Lamb

ABSTRACT Two mRNA species are derived from the influenza C virus RNA segment six, (i) a colinear transcript containing a 374-amino-acid residue open reading frame (referred to herein as the seg 6 ORF) which is translated to yield the p42 protein, and (ii) a spliced mRNA which encodes the influenza C virus matrix (CM1) protein consisting of the first 242 amino acids of p42. The p42 protein undergoes proteolytic cleavage at a consensus signal peptidase cleavage site after residue 259, yielding the p31 and CM2 proteins. Translocation of p42 into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane occurs cotranslationally and requires the hydrophobic internal signal peptide (residues 239 to 259), as well as the predicted transmembrane domain of CM2 (residues 285 to 308). The p31 protein was found to undergo rapid degradation after cleavage from p42. Addition of the 26S proteasome inhibitor lactacystin to influenza C virus-infected or seg 6 ORF cDNA-transfected cells drastically reduced p31 degradation. Transfer of the 17-residue C-terminal region of p31 to heterologous proteins resulted in their rapid turnover. The hydrophobic nature, but not the specific amino acid sequence of the 17-amino-acid C terminus of p31 appears to act as the signal for targeting the protein to membranes and for degradation.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily N. Gallichotte ◽  
Ellen F. Young ◽  
Thomas J. Baric ◽  
Boyd L. Yount ◽  
Stefan W. Metz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that is structurally highly similar to the related viruses, dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus, and yellow fever virus. ZIKV causes an acute infection that often results in mild symptoms but that can cause severe disease in rare instances. Following infection, individuals mount an adaptive immune response, composed of antibodies (Abs) that target the envelope (E) glycoprotein of ZIKV, which covers the surface of the virus. Groups have studied monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune sera isolated from individuals who recovered from natural ZIKV infections. Some of these antibodies bind to domain III of E (EDIII), but the functional importance of these antibodies is unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine if EDIII is a major target of the potent serum neutralizing antibodies present in people after ZIKV infection. By generating a chimeric virus containing ZIKV EDIII in a DENV4 virus backbone, our data show a minor role of EDIII-targeting antibodies in human polyclonal neutralization. These results reveal that while monoclonal antibody (MAb) studies are informative in identifying individual antibody epitopes, they can overestimate the importance of epitopes contained within EDIII as targets of serum neutralizing antibodies. Additionally, these results argue that the major target of human ZIKV neutralizing antibodies resides elsewhere in E; however, further studies are needed to assess the epitope specificity of the neutralizing response at the population level. Identification of the major epitopes on the envelope of ZIKV recognized by serum neutralizing antibodies is critical for understanding protective immunity following natural infection and for guiding the design and evaluation of vaccines. IMPORTANCE Zika virus is a flavivirus that was recently introduced to Latin America, where it caused a massive epidemic. Individuals infected with ZIKV generate an immune response composed of antibodies which bind to the envelope (E) protein. These anti-E antibodies are critical in protecting individuals from subsequent infection. Multiple groups have found that many ZIKV antibodies bind to domain III of E (EDIII), suggesting that this region is an important target of neutralizing antibodies. Here, we generated a chimeric virus containing ZIKV EDIII in a dengue virus backbone to measure ZIKV EDIII-specific antibody responses. We found that while polyclonal ZIKV immune serum contains antibodies targeting EDIII, they constitute only a small fraction of the total population of antibodies that neutralize ZIKV. Further studies are needed to define the main targets on the viral envelope recognized by human neutralizing antibodies, which is critical for guiding the development of ZIKV vaccines.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ved Mehta ◽  
Basavraj Khanppnavar ◽  
Dina Schuster ◽  
Irene Vercellino ◽  
Angela Kosturanova ◽  
...  

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis adenylyl cyclase (AC) Cya is an evolutionary ancestor of the mammalian membrane ACs and a model system for studies of their structure and function. Although the vital role of ACs in cellular signaling is well established, the function of their transmembrane (TM) regions remains unknown. Here we describe the cryo-EM structure of Cya bound to a stabilizing nanobody at 3.6 Å resolution. The TM helices 1-5 form a structurally conserved domain that facilitates the assembly of the helical and catalytic domains. The TM region contains discrete pockets accessible from the extracellular and cytosolic side of the membrane. Neutralization of the negatively charged extracellular pocket Ex1 destabilizes the cytosolic helical domain and reduces the catalytic activity of the enzyme. The TM domain acts as a functional component of Cya, guiding the assembly of the catalytic domain and providing the means for direct regulation of catalytic activity in response to extracellular ligands.One-Sentence SummaryCryo-EM structure of M. tuberculosis adenylyl cyclase Cya provides clues to the role of its transmembrane domain


2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. Byrd ◽  
Margaret Kielian

ABSTRACTAlphaviruses are small enveloped RNA viruses that bud from the host cell plasma membrane. Alphavirus particles have a highly organized structure, with a nucleocapsid core containing the RNA genome surrounded by the capsid protein, and a viral envelope containing 80 spikes, each a trimer of heterodimers of the E1 and E2 glycoproteins. The capsid protein and envelope proteins are both arranged in organized lattices that are linked via the interaction of the E2 cytoplasmic tail/endodomain with the capsid protein. We previously characterized the role of two highly conserved histidine residues, H348 and H352, located in an external, juxtamembrane region of the E2 protein termed the D-loop. Alanine substitutions of H348 and H352 inhibit virus growth by impairing late steps in the assembly/budding of virus particles at the plasma membrane. To investigate this budding defect, we selected for revertants of the E2-H348/352A double mutant. We identified eleven second-site revertants with improved virus growth and mutations in the capsid, E2 and E1 proteins. Multiple isolates contained the mutation E2-T402K in the E2 endodomain or E1-T317I in the E1 ectodomain. Both of these mutations were shown to partially restore H348/352A growth and virus assembly/budding, while neither rescued the decreased thermostability of H348/352A. Within the alphavirus particle, these mutations are positioned to affect the E2-capsid interaction or the E1-mediated intertrimer interactions at the 5-fold axis of symmetry. Together, our results support a model in which the E2 D-loop promotes the formation of the glycoprotein lattice and its interactions with the internal capsid protein lattice.IMPORTANCEAlphaviruses include important human pathogens such as Chikungunya and the encephalitic alphaviruses. There are currently no licensed alphavirus vaccines or effective antiviral therapies, and more molecular information on virus particle structure and function is needed. Here, we highlight the important role of the E2 juxtamembrane D-loop in mediating virus budding and particle production. Our results demonstrated that this E2 region affects both the formation of the external glycoprotein lattice and its interactions with the internal capsid protein shell.


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