scholarly journals The E2 signal sequence of rubella virus remains part of the capsid protein and confers membrane association in vitro.

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 5500-5509 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Suomalainen ◽  
H Garoff ◽  
M D Baron
2007 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 1185-1194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Graff ◽  
Yi-Hua Zhou ◽  
Udana Torian ◽  
Hanh Nguyen ◽  
Marisa St. Claire ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Hepatitis E virus is a nonenveloped RNA virus. However, the single capsid protein resembles a typical glycoprotein in that it contains a signal sequence and potential glycosylation sites that are utilized when recombinant capsid protein is overexpressed in cell culture. In order to determine whether these unexpected observations were biologically relevant or were artifacts of overexpression, we analyzed capsid protein produced during a normal viral replication cycle. In vitro transcripts from an infectious cDNA clone mutated to eliminate potential glycosylation sites were transfected into cultured Huh-7 cells and into the livers of rhesus macaques. The mutations did not detectably affect genome replication or capsid protein synthesis in cell culture. However, none of the mutants infected rhesus macaques. Velocity sedimentation analyses of transfected cell lysates revealed that mutation of the first two glycosylation sites prevented virion assembly, whereas mutation of the third site permitted particle formation and RNA encapsidation, but the particles were not infectious. However, conservative mutations that did not destroy glycosylation motifs also prevented infection. Overall, the data suggested that the mutations were lethal because they perturbed protein structure rather than because they eliminated glycosylation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 5569-5576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin D. Beatch ◽  
Tom C. Hobman

ABSTRACT Togavirus nucleocapsids have a characteristic icosahedral structure and are composed of multiple copies of a capsid protein complexed with genomic RNA. The assembly of rubella virus nucleocapsids is unique among togaviruses in that the process occurs late in virus assembly and in association with intracellular membranes. The goal of this study was to identify host cell proteins which may be involved in regulating rubella virus nucleocapsid assembly through their interactions with the capsid protein. Capsid was used as bait to screen a CV1 cDNA library using the yeast two-hybrid system. One protein that interacted strongly with capsid was p32, a cellular protein which is known to interact with other viral proteins. The interaction between capsid and p32 was confirmed using a number of different in vitro and in vivo methods, and the site of interaction between these two proteins was shown to be at the mitochondria. Interestingly, overexpression of the rubella virus structural proteins resulted in clustering of the mitochondria in the perinuclear region. The p32-binding site in capsid is a potentially phosphorylated region that overlaps the viral RNA-binding domain of capsid. Our results are consistent with the possibility that the interaction of p32 with capsid plays a role in the regulation of nucleocapsid assembly and/or virus-host interactions.


Blood ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 2246-2251 ◽  
Author(s):  
JG Kelton ◽  
TE Warkentin ◽  
CP Hayward ◽  
WG Murphy ◽  
JC Moore

Abstract Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is characterized by thrombocytopenia and disseminated platelet thrombi throughout the microvasculature. Studies by our group have demonstrated calcium- dependent proteolytic activity (calpain) that is no longer detectable in the serum of patients with acute TTP after their recovery. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the protease activity of TTP was detectable in plasma and, therefore, not an in vitro phenomenon secondary to the formation of serum. Additionally, we looked for evidence of membrane association of the active protease in the patients' samples, which would explain the persistence of its activity in the presence of plasma inhibitors. Acute TTP samples, both serum and plasma, were collected from 10 patients with TTP. Calpain was measured using bioassays for enzyme activity and also by detection of the protein using immunoblotting with an anticalpain monoclonal antibody (MoAb). In all instances, calpain could be detected both functionally and antigenically in the acute TTP sera and plasma. No calpain activity could be detected in any of the controls, although antigenic calpain was detectable in one sample from a patient who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. To investigate whether the calpain was associated with microparticles in the plasma, the TTP plasma samples were ultrafiltered and ultracentrifuged. Activity was not lost by passage across a 0.2-micron filter but was detectable only in the pellet following ultracentrifugation. Membrane association of the calpain in the microparticles also was demonstrated using solubilization with Triton X-100. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that the calpain activity could be removed by MoAbs against platelet membrane glycoproteins (IX and IIb/IIa) but not by a MoAb against red blood cell membrane glycophorin. These studies indicate that active calpain is associated with platelet microparticles in plasma from patients with TTP.


AMB Express ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam F. Suzuki ◽  
Larissa A. Almeida ◽  
Stephanie A. Pomin ◽  
Felipe D. Silva ◽  
Renan P. Freire ◽  
...  

AbstractThe human prolactin antagonist Δ1-11-G129R-hPRL is a 21.9 kDa recombinant protein with 188 amino acids that downregulates the proliferation of a variety of cells expressing prolactin receptors. Periplasmic expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli has been considered an option for obtaining a soluble and correctly folded protein, as an alternative to cytoplasmic production. The aim of this work was, therefore, to synthesize for the first time, the Δ1-11-G129R-hPRL antagonist, testing different activation temperatures and purifying it by classical chromatographic techniques. E. coli BL21(DE3) strain was transformed with a plasmid based on the pET25b( +) vector, DsbA signal sequence and the antagonist cDNA sequence. Different doses of IPTG were added, activating under different temperatures, and extracting the periplasmic fluid via osmotic shock. The best conditions were achieved by activating at 35 °C for 5 h using 0.4 mM IPTG, which gave a specific expression of 0.157 ± 0.015 μg/mL/A600 at a final optical density of 3.43 ± 0.13 A600. Purification was carried out by nickel-affinity chromatography followed by size-exclusion chromatography, quantification being performed via high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The prolactin antagonist was characterized by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and MALDI-TOF–MS. The final product presented > 95% purity and its antagonistic effects were evaluated in vitro in view of potential clinical applications, including inhibition of the proliferation of cancer cells overexpressing the prolactin receptor and specific antidiabetic properties, taking also advantage of the fact that this antagonist was obtained in a soluble and correctly folded form and without an initial methionine.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1517
Author(s):  
Rebecca S. Brown ◽  
Lisa Kim ◽  
Margaret Kielian

Alphaviruses are small enveloped viruses with positive-sense RNA genomes. During infection, the alphavirus capsid protein (Cp) selectively packages and assembles with the viral genomic RNA to form the nucleocapsid core, a process critical to the production of infectious virus. Prior studies of the alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) showed that packaging and assembly are promoted by Cp binding to multiple high affinity sites on the genomic RNA. Here, we developed an in vitro Cp binding assay based on fluorescently labeled RNA oligos. We used this assay to explore the RNA sequence and structure requirements for Cp binding to site #1, the top binding site identified on the genomic RNA during all stages of virus assembly. Our results identify a stem-loop structure that promotes specific binding of the SFV Cp to site #1 RNA. This structure is also recognized by the Cps of the related alphaviruses chikungunya virus and Ross River virus.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (23) ◽  
pp. 8417-8429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette E. Bröms ◽  
Matthew S. Francis ◽  
Åke Forsberg

ABSTRACT Many gram-negative bacterial pathogenicity factors that function beyond the outer membrane are secreted via a contact-dependent type III secretion system. Two types of substrates are predestined for this mode of secretion, namely, antihost effectors that are translocated directly into target cells and the translocators required for targeting of the effectors across the host cell membrane. N-terminal secretion signals are important for recognition of the protein cargo by the type III secretion machinery. Even though such signals are known for several effectors, a consensus signal sequence is not obvious. One of the translocators, LcrV, has been attributed other functions in addition to its role in translocation. These functions include regulation, presumably via interaction with LcrG inside bacteria, and immunomodulation via interaction with Toll-like receptor 2. Here we wanted to address the significance of the specific targeting of LcrV to the exterior for its function in regulation, effector targeting, and virulence. The results, highlighting key N-terminal amino acids important for LcrV secretion, allowed us to dissect the role of LcrV in regulation from that in effector targeting/virulence. While only low levels of exported LcrV were required for in vitro effector translocation, as deduced by a cell infection assay, fully functional export of LcrV was found to be a prerequisite for its role in virulence in the systemic murine infection model.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document