scholarly journals The Cell-Rounding Activity of the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein Is due to the Induction of Cell Death

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 5524-5528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Kopecky ◽  
Douglas S. Lyles
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Host Gene ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Host Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Rounding ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis ◽  
Apoptotic Pathways ◽  
Viral Components

ABSTRACT The matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressed in the absence of other viral components causes many of the cytopathic effects of VSV, including an inhibition of host gene expression and the induction of cell rounding. It was recently shown that M protein also induces apoptosis in the absence of other viral components. This raises the possibility that the activation of apoptotic pathways causes the inhibition of host gene expression and cell rounding by M protein. To test this hypothesis, host gene expression and cell rounding were analyzed after the transfection of M mRNA into HeLa cells stably overexpressing Bcl-2 (HeLa-Bcl-2 cells). We have shown previously that Bcl-2 inhibits M-protein-induced apoptosis. Here, we show that activation of the apoptotic pathways downstream of Bcl-2 is not required for the inhibition of host gene expression by M protein. In contrast, overexpression of Bcl-2 inhibited cell rounding induced by M protein, indicating that apoptotic pathways downstream of Bcl-2 are required for the cell-rounding activities of M protein.

scholarly journals Matrix Protein Mutant of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Stimulates Maturation of Myeloid Dendritic Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 2194-2205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Ahmed ◽  
Kristina L. Brzoza ◽  
Elizabeth M. Hiltbold
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Host Gene ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type I Ifn ◽  
Host Gene Expression ◽  
Tumor Immunosurveillance ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT Matrix (M) protein mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus have recently been used as oncolytic viruses for tumor therapies and are being developed as vaccine vectors for heterologous antigens. Because dendritic cell (DC) maturation is an important correlate of tumor immunosurveillance and vaccine efficacy, we sought to determine the ability of a recombinant M protein mutant virus (rM51R-M virus) to mature DC in vitro. We have previously shown that rM51R-M virus is defective at inhibiting host gene expression in several cell lines compared to its recombinant wild-type counterpart, rwt virus. Therefore, rM51R-M virus allows the expression of genes involved in antiviral responses, such as the type I interferon (IFN) gene. Our results demonstrate that, in contrast to the rwt virus, rM51R-M virus induced the maturation of myeloid DC (mDC) populations, as indicated by an increase in the surface expression of CD40, CD80, and CD86 as well as the secretion of interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-6, and type I IFN. In addition, mDC infected with rM51R-M virus effectively activated naïve T cells in vitro, whereas rwt virus-infected mDC were defective in antigen presentation. The inability of rwt virus to induce mDC maturation was correlated with the inhibition of host gene expression in rwt virus-infected cells. Our studies also indicated that the production of costimulatory molecules on mDC by rM51R-M virus was dependent on the type I IFN receptor, while maturation induced by this virus was largely independent of MyD88. These data indicate that rM51R-M virus effectively stimulates the maturation of mDC and has the potential to promote effective T-cell responses to vector-expressed antigens, activate DC at tumor sites during therapy, and aid in tumor immunosurveillance and destruction.

scholarly journals Matrix Protein and Another Viral Component Contribute to Induction of Apoptosis in Cells Infected with Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (24) ◽  
pp. 12169-12181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Kopecky ◽  
Mark C. Willingham ◽  
Douglas S. Lyles
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Caspase 3 ◽  
Host Gene ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Host Gene Expression ◽  
Bhk Cells ◽  
Viral Component ◽  
Induction Of Apoptosis ◽  
Induced Apoptosis ◽  
Viral Components

ABSTRACT The induction of apoptosis in host cells is a prominent cytopathic effect of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection. The viral matrix (M) protein is responsible for several important cytopathic effects, including the inhibition of host gene expression and the induction of cell rounding in VSV-infected cells. This raises the question of whether M protein is also involved in the induction of apoptosis. HeLa or BHK cells were transfected with M mRNA to determine whether M protein induces apoptosis when expressed in the absence of other viral components. Expression of M protein induced apoptotic morphological changes and activated caspase-3 in both cell types, indicating that M protein induces apoptosis in the absence of other viral components. An M protein containing a point mutation that renders it defective in the inhibition of host gene expression (M51R mutation) activated little, if any, caspase-3, while a deletion mutant lacking amino acids 4 to 21 that is defective in the virus assembly function but fully functional in the inhibition of host gene expression was as effective as wild-type (wt) M protein in activating caspase-3. To determine whether M protein influences the induction of apoptosis in the context of a virus infection, the M51R M protein mutation was incorporated onto a wt background by using a recombinant infectious cDNA clone (rM51R-M virus). The timing of the induction of apoptosis by rM51R-M virus was compared to that by the corresponding recombinant wt (rwt) virus and to that by tsO82 virus, the mutant virus in which the M51R mutation was originally identified. In HeLa cells, rwt virus induced apoptosis faster than did rM51R-M virus, demonstrating a role for M protein in the induction of apoptosis. In contrast to the results obtained with HeLa cells, rwt virus induced apoptosis more slowly than did rM51R-M virus in BHK cells. This indicates that a viral component other than M protein contributes to induction of apoptosis in BHK cells and that wt M protein acts to delay induction of apoptosis by the other viral component. tsO82 virus induced apoptosis more rapidly than did rM51R-M virus in both HeLa and BHK cells. These two viruses contain the same point mutation in their M proteins, suggesting that sequence differences in genes other than that for M protein affect their rates of induction of apoptosis.

scholarly journals Vesicular Stomatitis Viruses Expressing Wild-Type or Mutant M Proteins Activate Apoptosis through Distinct Pathways

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 4170-4179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Gaddy ◽  
Douglas S. Lyles
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mitochondrial Pathway ◽  
Host Gene ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Caspase 8 ◽  
Apoptosis Induction ◽  
Host Gene Expression ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Caspase 9 ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) induces apoptosis by at least two mechanisms. The viral matrix (M) protein induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway due to the inhibition of host gene expression. However, in some cell types, the inhibition of host gene expression by VSV expressing wild-type (wt) M protein delays VSV-induced apoptosis, indicating that another mechanism is involved. In support of this, the recombinant M51R-M (rM51R-M) virus, expressing a mutant M protein that is defective in its ability to inhibit host gene expression, induces apoptosis much more rapidly in L929 cells than do viruses expressing wt M protein. Here, we determine the caspase pathways by which the rM51R-M virus induces apoptosis. An analysis of caspase activity, using fluorometric caspase assays and Western blots, indicated that each of the main initiator caspases, caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-12, were activated during infection with the rM51R-M virus. The overexpression of Bcl-2, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial pathway, or MAGE-3, an inhibitor of caspase-12 activation, did not delay apoptosis induction in rM51R-M virus-infected L929 cells. However, an inhibitor of caspase-8 activity significantly delayed apoptosis induction. Furthermore, the inhibition of caspase-8 activity prevented the activation of caspase-9, suggesting that caspase-9 is activated by cross talk with caspase-8. These data indicate that VSV expressing the mutant M protein induces apoptosis via the death receptor apoptotic pathway, a mechanism distinct from that induced by VSV expressing the wt M protein.

scholarly journals Identification of Two Additional Translation Products from the Matrix (M) Gene That Contribute to Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Cytopathology

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (16) ◽  
pp. 8011-8018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himangi R. Jayakar ◽  
Michael A. Whitt
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Recombinant Virus ◽  
M Protein ◽  
M Gene ◽  
Cell Rounding ◽  
Matrix Gene ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT The matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a multifunctional protein that is responsible for condensation of the ribonucleocapsid core during virus assembly and also plays a critical role in virus budding. The M protein is also responsible for most of the cytopathic effects (CPE) observed in infected cells. VSV CPE include inhibition of host gene expression, disablement of nucleocytoplasmic transport, and disruption of the host cytoskeleton, which results in rounding of infected cells. In this report, we show that the VSV M gene codes for two additional polypeptides, which we have named M2 and M3. These proteins are synthesized from downstream methionines in the same open reading frame as the M protein (which we refer to here as M1) and lack the first 32 (M2) or 50 (M3) amino acids of M1. Infection of cells with a recombinant virus that does not express M2 and M3 (M33,51A) resulted in a delay in cell rounding, but virus yield was not affected. Transient expression of M2 and M3 alone caused cell rounding similar to that with the full-length M1 protein, suggesting that the cell-rounding function of the M protein does not require the N-terminal 50 amino acids. To determine if M2 and M3 were sufficient for VSV-mediated CPE, both M2 and M3 were expressed from a separate cistron in a VSV mutant background that readily establishes persistent infections and that normally lacks CPE. Infection of cells with the recombinant virus that expressed M2 and M3 resulted in cell rounding indistinguishable from that with the wild-type recombinant virus. These results suggest that M2 and M3 are important for cell rounding and may play an important role in viral cytopathogenesis. To our knowledge, this is first report of the multiple coding capacities of a rhabdovirus matrix gene.

scholarly journals Biarsenical Labeling of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Encoding Tetracysteine-Tagged M Protein Allows Dynamic Imaging of M Protein and Virus Uncoating in Infected Cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 2611-2622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subash C. Das ◽  
Debasis Panda ◽  
Debasis Nayak ◽  
Asit K. Pattnaik
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Dynamic Imaging ◽  
Viral Envelope ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Recombinant Viruses ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT A recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-PeGFP-M-MmRFP) encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein fused in frame with P (PeGFP) in place of P and a fusion matrix protein (monomeric red fluorescent protein fused in frame at the carboxy terminus of M [MmRFP]) at the G-L gene junction, in addition to wild-type (wt) M protein in its normal location, was recovered, but the MmRFP was not incorporated into the virions. Subsequently, we generated recombinant viruses (VSV-PeGFP-ΔM-Mtc and VSV-ΔM-Mtc) encoding M protein with a carboxy-terminal tetracysteine tag (Mtc) in place of the M protein. These recombinant viruses incorporated Mtc at levels similar to M in wt VSV, demonstrating recovery of infectious rhabdoviruses encoding and incorporating a tagged M protein. Virions released from cells infected with VSV-PeGFP-ΔM-Mtc and labeled with the biarsenical red dye (ReAsH) were dually fluorescent, fluorescing green due to incorporation of PeGFP in the nucleocapsids and red due to incorporation of ReAsH-labeled Mtc in the viral envelope. Transport and subsequent association of M protein with the plasma membrane were shown to be independent of microtubules. Sequential labeling of VSV-ΔM-Mtc-infected cells with the biarsenical dyes ReAsH and FlAsH (green) revealed that newly synthesized M protein reaches the plasma membrane in less than 30 min and continues to accumulate there for up to 2 1/2 hours. Using dually fluorescent VSV, we determined that following adsorption at the plasma membrane, the time taken by one-half of the virus particles to enter cells and to uncoat their nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm is approximately 28 min.

scholarly journals Glycoprotein-Dependent Acidification of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Enhances Release of Matrix Protein

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (23) ◽  
pp. 12139-12150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad E. Mire ◽  
Derek Dube ◽  
Sue E. Delos ◽  
Judith M. White ◽  
Michael A. Whitt
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Protein Dissociation ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT To study vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) entry and uncoating, we generated a recombinant VSV encoding a matrix (M) protein containing a C-terminal tetracysteine Lumio tag (rVSV-ML) that could be fluorescently labeled using biarsenical compounds. Quantitative confocal microscopy showed that there is a transient loss of fluorescence at early times after the initiation of endocytosis of rVSV-ML-Green (rVSV-MLG) virions, which did not occur when cells were treated with bafilomycin A1. The reduction in fluorescence occurred 5 to 10 min postentry, followed by a steady increase in fluorescence intensity from 15 to 60 min postentry. A similar loss of fluorescence was observed in vitro when virions were exposed to acidic pH. The reduction in fluorescence required G protein since “bald” ΔG-MLG particles did not show a similar loss of fluorescence at low pH. Based on the pH-dependent fluorescence properties of Lumio Green, we hypothesize that the loss of fluorescence of rVSV-MLG virions during virus entry is due to a G ectodomain-dependent acidification of the virion interior. Biochemical analysis indicated that low pH also resulted in an enhancement of M protein dissociation from partially permeabilized, but otherwise intact, wild-type virions. From these data we propose that low-pH conformational changes in G protein promote acidification of the virus interior, which facilitates the release of M from ribonucleoprotein particles during uncoating.

scholarly journals Phenotypic Consequences of Rearranging the P, M, and G Genes of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 4705-4712 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Andrew Ball ◽  
Craig R. Pringle ◽  
Brian Flanagan ◽  
Victoria P. Perepelitsa ◽  
Gail W. Wertz
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Gene Order ◽  
Gene Rearrangement ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Ancestral Gene ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT The nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses (orderMononegavirales) include many important human pathogens. The order of their genes, which is highly conserved, is the major determinant of the relative levels of gene expression, since genes that are close to the single promoter site at the 3′ end of the viral genome are transcribed at higher levels than those that occupy more distal positions. We manipulated an infectious cDNA clone of the prototypic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to rearrange three of the five viral genes, using an approach which left the viral nucleotide sequence otherwise unaltered. The central three genes in the gene order, which encode the phosphoprotein P, the matrix protein M, and the glycoprotein G, were rearranged into all six possible orders. Viable viruses were recovered from each of the rearranged cDNAs. The recovered viruses were examined for their levels of gene expression, growth potential in cell culture, and virulence in mice. Gene rearrangement changed the expression levels of the encoded proteins in concordance with their distance from the 3′ promoter. Some of the viruses with rearranged genomes replicated as well or slightly better than wild-type virus in cultured cells, while others showed decreased replication. All of the viruses were lethal for mice, although the time to symptoms and death following inoculation varied. These data show that despite the highly conserved gene order of the Mononegavirales, gene rearrangement is not lethal or necessarily even detrimental to the virus. These findings suggest that the conservation of the gene order observed among the Mononegavirales may result from immobilization of the ancestral gene order due to the lack of a mechanism for homologous recombination in this group of viruses. As a consequence, gene rearrangement should be irreversible and provide an approach for constructing viruses with novel phenotypes.

scholarly journals Mutations in the PPPY Motif of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein Reduce Virus Budding by Inhibiting a Late Step in Virion Release

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (21) ◽  
pp. 9818-9827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himangi R. Jayakar ◽  
K. Gopal Murti ◽  
Michael A. Whitt
Keyword(s):  
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Electron Microscopic Examination ◽  
M Protein ◽  
Virus Yield ◽  
Virus Budding ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Gag Proteins ◽  
Virion Release ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis

ABSTRACT The N terminus of the matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and of other rhabdoviruses contains a highly conserved PPPY sequence (or PY motif) similar to the late (L) domains in the Gag proteins of some retroviruses. These L domains in retroviral Gag proteins are required for efficient release of virus particles. In this report, we show that mutations in the PPPY sequence of the VSV M protein reduce virus yield by blocking a late stage in virus budding. We also observed a delay in the ability of mutant viruses to cause inhibition of host gene expression compared to wild-type (WT) VSV. The effect of PY mutations on virus budding appears to be due to a block at a stage just prior to virion release, since electron microscopic examination of PPPA mutant-infected cells showed a large number of assembled virions at the plasma membrane trapped in the process of budding. Deletion of the glycoprotein (G) in addition to these mutations further reduced the virus yield to less than 1% of WT levels, and very few particles were assembled at the cell surface. This observation suggested that G protein aids in the initial stage of budding, presumably during the formation of the bud site. Overall, our results confirm that the PPPY sequence of the VSV M protein possesses L domain activity analogous to that of the retroviral Gag proteins.

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