scholarly journals Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein Subunits, gp70 and Pr15E, Form a Stable Disulfide-Linked Complex

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 6537-6545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk-Jan E. Opstelten ◽  
Michael Wallin ◽  
Henrik Garoff
Keyword(s):  
Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Alkylating Agents ◽  
Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Virus Envelope ◽  
Disulfide Linkage ◽  
Virus Envelope Protein ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Murine Leukemia

ABSTRACT The nature and stability of the interactions between the gp70 and Pr15E/p15E molecules of murine leukemia virus (MLV) have been disputed extensively. To resolve this controversy, we have performed quantitative biochemical analyses on gp70-Pr15E complexes formed after independent expression of the amphotropic and ecotropic Moloney MLVenv genes in BHK-21 cells. We found that all cell-associated gp70 molecules are disulfide linked to Pr15E whereas only a small amount of free gp70 is released by the cells. The complexes were resistant to treatment with reducing agents in vivo, indicating that the presence and stability of the disulfide interaction between gp70 and Pr15E are not dependent on the cellular redox state. However, disulfide-bonded Env complexes were disrupted in lysates of nonalkylated cells in a time-, temperature-, and pH-dependent fashion. Disruption seemed not to be caused by a cellular factor but is probably due to a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction occurring within the Env complex after solubilization. The possibility that alkylating agents induce the formation of the intersubunit disulfide linkage was excluded by showing that disulfide-linked gp70-Pr15E complexes exist in freshly made lysates of nonalkylated cells and that disruption of the complexes can be prevented by lowering the pH. Together, these data establish that gp70 and Pr15E form a stable disulfide-linked complex in vivo.

scholarly journals Sequential activation of the three protomers in the Moloney murine leukemia virus Env

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 2723-2728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilda Sjöberg ◽  
Robin Löving ◽  
Birgitta Lindqvist ◽  
Henrik Garoff
Keyword(s):  
Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Virus Envelope ◽  
Sequential Activation ◽  
Virus Envelope Protein ◽  
Membrane Fusion Proteins ◽  
Viral Membrane Fusion ◽  
Murine Leukemia

Viral membrane fusion proteins of class I are trimers in which the protomeric unit is a complex of a surface subunit (SU) and a fusion active transmembrane subunit (TM). Here we have studied how the protomeric units of Moloney murine leukemia virus envelope protein (Env) are activated in relation to each other, sequentially or simultaneously. We followed the isomerization of the SU-TM disulfide and subsequent SU release from Env with biochemical methods and found that this early activation step occurred sequentially in the three protomers, generating two asymmetric oligomer intermediates according to the scheme (SU-TM)3→ (SU-TM)2TM → (SU-TM)TM2→ TM3. This was the case both when activation was triggered in vitro by depleting stabilizing Ca2+from solubilized Env and when viral Env was receptor triggered on rat XC cells. In the latter case, the activation reaction was too fast for direct observation of the intermediates, but they could be caught by alkylation of the isomerization active thiol.

scholarly journals Cytoplasmic Tail of Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein Influences the Conformation of the Extracellular Domain: Implications for Mechanism of Action of the R Peptide

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 1281-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector C. Aguilar ◽  
W. French Anderson ◽  
Paula M. Cannon
Keyword(s):  
Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tail ◽  
Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus ◽  
Virus Envelope ◽  
Peptide Cleavage ◽  
Virus Envelope Protein ◽  
Env Protein ◽  
Membrane Spanning ◽  
Murine Leukemia

ABSTRACT The envelope (Env) protein of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) is a homotrimeric complex whose monomers consist of linked surface (SU) and transmembrane (TM) proteins cleaved from a precursor protein by a cellular protease. In addition, a significant fraction of virion-associated TM is further processed by the viral protease to remove the C-terminal 16 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain, the R peptide. This cleavage greatly enhances the fusogenicity of the protein and is necessary for the formation of a fully functional Env protein complex. We have previously proposed that R peptide cleavage enhances fusogenicity by altering the conformation of the ectodomain of the protein (Y. Zhao et al., J. Virol. 72:5392-5398, 1998). Using a series of truncation and point mutants of MoMuLV Env, we now provide direct biochemical and immunological evidence that the cytoplasmic tail and the membrane-spanning region of Env can influence the overall structure of the ectodomain of the protein and alter the strength of the SU-TM interaction. The R-peptide-truncated form of the protein, in particular, exhibits a markedly different conformation than the full-length protein.

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