scholarly journals Friend or Foe: The Role of the Cytoskeleton in Influenza A Virus Assembly

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukhmani Bedi ◽  
Akira Ono

Influenza A Virus (IAV) is a respiratory virus that causes seasonal outbreaks annually and pandemics occasionally. The main targets of the virus are epithelial cells in the respiratory tract. Like many other viruses, IAV employs the host cell’s machinery to enter cells, synthesize new genomes and viral proteins, and assemble new virus particles. The cytoskeletal system is a major cellular machinery, which IAV exploits for its entry to and exit from the cell. However, in some cases, the cytoskeleton has a negative impact on efficient IAV growth. In this review, we highlight the role of cytoskeletal elements in cellular processes that are utilized by IAV in the host cell. We further provide an in-depth summary of the current literature on the roles the cytoskeleton plays in regulating specific steps during the assembly of progeny IAV particles.

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (16) ◽  
pp. 8178-8189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew F. McCown ◽  
Andrew Pekosz

ABSTRACT The cytoplasmic tail of the influenza A virus M2 protein is highly conserved among influenza A virus isolates. The cytoplasmic tail appears to be dispensable with respect to the ion channel activity associated with the protein but important for virus morphology and the production of infectious virus particles. Using reverse genetics and transcomplementation assays, we demonstrate that the M2 protein cytoplasmic tail is a crucial mediator of infectious virus production. Truncations of the M2 cytoplasmic tail result in a drastic decrease in infectious virus titers, a reduction in the amount of packaged viral RNA, a decrease in budding events, and a reduction in budding efficiency. The M1 protein binds to the M2 cytoplasmic tail, but the M1 binding site is distinct from the sequences that affect infectious virus particle formation. Influenza A virus strains A/Udorn/72 and A/WSN/33 differ in their requirements for M2 cytoplasmic tail sequences, and this requirement maps to the M1 protein. We conclude that the M2 protein is required for the formation of infectious virus particles, implicating the protein as important for influenza A virus assembly in addition to its well-documented role during virus entry and uncoating.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Regan ◽  
Yuying Liang ◽  
Tristram G. Parslow

ABSTRACT The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of influenza A virus is composed of three subunits that together synthesize all viral mRNAs and also replicate the viral genomic RNA segments (vRNAs) through intermediates known as cRNAs. Here we describe functional characterization of 16 site-directed mutants of one polymerase subunit, termed PA. In accord with earlier studies, these mutants exhibited diverse, mainly quantitative impairments in expressing one or more classes of viral RNA, with associated infectivity defects of varying severity. One PA mutant, however, targeting residues 507 and 508, caused only modest perturbations of RNA expression yet completely eliminated the formation of plaque-forming virus. Polymerases incorporating this mutant, designated J10, proved capable of synthesizing translationally active mRNAs and of replicating diverse cRNA or vRNA templates at levels compatible with viral infectivity. Both the mutant protein and its RNA products were appropriately localized in the cytoplasm, where influenza virus assembly occurs. Nevertheless, J10 failed to generate infectious particles from cells in a plasmid-based influenza virus assembly assay, and hemagglutinating material from the supernatants of such cells contained little or no nuclease-resistant genomic RNA. These findings suggest that PA has a previously unrecognized role in assembly or release of influenza virus virions, perhaps influencing core structure or the packaging of vRNAs or other essential components into nascent influenza virus particles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsuan Liu ◽  
Michael L. Grantham ◽  
Andrew Pekosz

ABSTRACTThe influenza A virus M1 and M2 proteins play important roles in virus assembly and in the morphology of virus particles. Mutations in the distal cytoplasmic tail region of M2, and in particular a tyrosine-to-alanine mutation at residue 76 (Y76A), were essential for infectious virus production and filament formation while having limited effects on total virus particle budding. Using a novel selection method, mutations at seven different M1 amino acids (residue 73, 94, 135, 136, or 138 or a double mutation, 93/244) that are not found in circulating influenza virus strains or have not been previously identified to play a role in influenza A virus assembly were found to complement the lethal M2Y76A mutation. These M1 suppressor mutations restored infectious virus production in the presence of M2Y76A and mediated increased budding and filament formation even in the absence of M2. However, the efficiency of infectious virus replication was still dependent on the presence of the distal region of the M2 cytoplasmic tail. The data suggest that influenza A virus budding and genome incorporation can occur independently and provide further support for complementary roles of the M1 and M2 proteins in virus assembly.IMPORTANCEInfluenza virus particle assembly involves the careful coordination of various viral and host factors to optimally produce infectious virus particles. We have previously identified a mutation at position 76 of the influenza A virus M2 protein that drastically reduces infectious virus production and filament formation with minimal effects on virus budding. In this work, we identified suppressor mutations in the M1 protein which complement this lethal M2 mutation by increasing the efficiency with which virus particles bud from infected cells and restoring filament formation at the infected-cell surface. M2 distal cytoplasmic domain sequences were still required for optimal infectivity. This indicates that M1 and M2 can functionally replace each other in some, but not all, aspects of virus particle assembly.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (17) ◽  
pp. 8957-8966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Chlanda ◽  
Oliver Schraidt ◽  
Susann Kummer ◽  
James Riches ◽  
Heike Oberwinkler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe assembly of influenza A virus at the plasma membrane of infected cells leads to release of enveloped virions that are typically round in tissue culture-adapted strains but filamentous in strains isolated from patients. The viral proteins hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), matrix protein 1 (M1), and M2 ion channel all contribute to virus assembly. When expressed individually or in combination in cells, they can all, under certain conditions, mediate release of membrane-enveloped particles, but their relative roles in virus assembly, release, and morphology remain unclear. To investigate these roles, we produced membrane-enveloped particles by plasmid-derived expression of combinations of HA, NA, and M proteins (M1 and M2) or by infection with influenza A virus. We monitored particle release, particle morphology, and plasma membrane morphology by using biochemical methods, electron microscopy, electron tomography, and cryo-electron tomography. Our data suggest that HA, NA, or HANA (HA plus NA) expression leads to particle release through nonspecific induction of membrane curvature. In contrast, coexpression with the M proteins clusters the glycoproteins into filamentous membrane protrusions, which can be released as particles by formation of a constricted neck at the base. HA and NA are preferentially distributed to differently curved membranes within these particles. Both the budding intermediates and the released particles are morphologically similar to those produced during infection with influenza A virus. Together, our data provide new insights into influenza virus assembly and show that the M segment together with either of the glycoproteins is the minimal requirement to assemble and release membrane-enveloped particles that are truly virus-like.IMPORTANCEInfluenza A virus is a major respiratory pathogen. It assembles membrane-enveloped virus particles whose shapes vary from spherical to filamentous. Here we examine the roles of individual viral proteins in mediating virus assembly and determining virus shape. To do this, we used a range of electron microscopy techniques to obtain and compare two- and three-dimensional images of virus particles and virus-like particles during and after assembly. The virus-like particles were produced using different combinations of viral proteins. Among our results, we found that coexpression of one or both of the viral surface proteins (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase) with the viral membrane-associated proteins encoded by the M segment results in assembly and release of filamentous virus-like particles in a manner very similar to that of the budding and release of influenza virions. These data provide novel insights into the roles played by individual viral proteins in influenza A virus assembly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2409
Author(s):  
Anastasia A. Bizyaeva ◽  
Dmitry A. Bunin ◽  
Valeria L. Moiseenko ◽  
Alexandra S. Gambaryan ◽  
Sonja Balk ◽  
...  

Nucleic acid aptamers are generally accepted as promising elements for the specific and high-affinity binding of various biomolecules. It has been shown for a number of aptamers that the complexes with several related proteins may possess a similar affinity. An outstanding example is the G-quadruplex DNA aptamer RHA0385, which binds to the hemagglutinins of various influenza A virus strains. These hemagglutinins have homologous tertiary structures but moderate-to-low amino acid sequence identities. Here, the experiment was inverted, targeting the same protein using a set of related, parallel G-quadruplexes. The 5′- and 3′-flanking sequences of RHA0385 were truncated to yield parallel G-quadruplex with three propeller loops that were 7, 1, and 1 nucleotides in length. Next, a set of minimal, parallel G-quadruplexes with three single-nucleotide loops was tested. These G-quadruplexes were characterized both structurally and functionally. All parallel G-quadruplexes had affinities for both recombinant hemagglutinin and influenza virions. In summary, the parallel G-quadruplex represents a minimal core structure with functional activity that binds influenza A hemagglutinin. The flanking sequences and loops represent additional features that can be used to modulate the affinity. Thus, the RHA0385–hemagglutinin complex serves as an excellent example of the hypothesis of a core structure that is decorated with additional recognizing elements capable of improving the binding properties of the aptamer.


Vaccine ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (44-46) ◽  
pp. 6647-6650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmie de Wit ◽  
Monique I.J. Spronken ◽  
Guus F. Rimmelzwaan ◽  
Albert D.M.E. Osterhaus ◽  
Ron A.M. Fouchier

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (17) ◽  
pp. 2017-2031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Panella ◽  
Maria Elena Marcocci ◽  
Ignacio Celestino ◽  
Sergio Valente ◽  
Clemens Zwergel ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wu ◽  
Jiaqi Gu ◽  
Li Shen ◽  
Xiaonan Jia ◽  
Yiqian Yin ◽  
...  

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a crucial cause of respiratory infections in humans worldwide. Therefore, studies should clarify adaptation mechanisms of IAV and critical factors of the viral pathogenesis in human hosts. GTPases of the Rab family are the largest branch of the Ras-like small GTPase superfamily, and they regulate almost every step during vesicle-mediated trafficking. Evidence has shown that Rab proteins participate in the lifecycle of IAV. In this mini-review, we outline the regulatory mechanisms of different Rab proteins in the lifecycle of IAV. Understanding the role of Rab proteins in IAV infections is important to develop broad-spectrum host-targeted antiviral strategies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ee-Hong Tam ◽  
Yen-Chin Liu ◽  
Chian-Huey Woung ◽  
Helene Minyi Liu ◽  
Guan-Hong Wu ◽  
...  

The NS1 protein of the influenza A virus plays a critical role in regulating several biological processes in cells, including the type I interferon (IFN) response. We previously profiled the cellular factors that interact with the NS1 protein of influenza A virus and found that the NS1 protein interacts with proteins involved in RNA splicing/processing, cell cycle regulation, and protein targeting processes, including 14-3-3ε. Since 14-3-3ε plays an important role in RIG-I translocation to MAVS to activate type I IFN expression, the interaction of the NS1 and 14-3-3ε proteins may prevent the RIG-I-mediated IFN response. In this study, we confirmed that the 14-3-3ε protein interacts with the N-terminal domain of the NS1 protein and that the NS1 protein inhibits RIG-I-mediated IFN-β promoter activation in 14-3-3ε-overexpressing cells. In addition, our results showed that knocking down 14-3-3ε can reduce IFN-β expression elicited by influenza A virus and enhance viral replication. Furthermore, we found that threonine in the 49 th amino acid position of the NS1 protein plays a role in the interaction with 14-3-3ε. Influenza A virus expressing C-terminus-truncated NS1 with T49A mutation dramatically increases IFN-β mRNA in infected cells and causes slower replication than that of virus without the T-to-A mutation. Collectively, this study demonstrates that 14-3-3ε is involved in influenza A virus-initiated IFN-β expression and that the interaction of the NS1 protein and 14-3-3ε may be one of the mechanisms for inhibiting type I IFN activation during influenza A virus infection. IMPORTANCE Influenza A virus is an important human pathogen causing severe respiratory disease. The virus has evolved several strategies to dysregulate the innate immune response and facilitate its replication. We demonstrate that the NS1 protein of influenza A virus interacts with the cellular chaperone protein 14-3-3ε, which plays a critical role in RIG-I translocation that induces type I IFN expression, and that NS1 protein prevents RIG-I translocation to mitochondrial membrane. The interaction site for 14-3-3ε is the RNA-binding domain (RBD) of the NS1 protein. Therefore, this research elucidates a novel mechanism by which the NS1 RBD mediates IFN-β suppression to facilitate influenza A viral replication. Additionally, the findings reveal the antiviral role of 14-3-3ε during influenza A virus infection.


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