Overlapping Roles of the Rous Sarcoma Virus Gag p10 Domain in Nuclear Export and Virion Core Morphology

ABSTRACT Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) Gag polyprotein is an integral step in virus particle assembly. A nuclear export signal (NES) was previously identified within the p10 domain of RSV Gag. Gag mutants containing deletions of the p10 NES or mutations of critical hydrophobic residues at positions 219, 222, 225, or 229 become trapped within the nucleus and exhibit defects in the efficiency of virus particle release. To investigate other potential roles for Gag nuclear trafficking in RSV replication, we created viruses bearing NES mutant Gag proteins. Viruses carrying p10 mutations produced low levels of particles, as anticipated, and those particles that were released were noninfectious. The p10 mutant viruses contained approximately normal amounts of Gag, Gag-Pol, and Env proteins and genomic viral RNA (vRNA), but several major structural defects were found. Thin-section transmission electron microscopy revealed that the mature particles appeared misshapen, while the viral cores were cylindrical, horseshoe-shaped, or fragmented, with some particles containing multiple small, electron-dense aggregates. Immature virus-like particles produced by the expression of Gag proteins bearing p10 mutations were also aberrant, with both spherical and tubular filamentous particles produced. Interestingly, the secondary structure of the encapsidated vRNA was altered; although dimeric vRNA was predominant, there was an additional high-molecular-weight fraction. Together, these results indicate that the p10 NES domain of Gag is critical for virus replication and that it plays overlapping roles required for the nuclear shuttling of Gag and for the maintenance of proper virion core morphology.

Vaccinia Virus A6L Encodes a Virion Core Protein Required for Formation of Mature Virion

ABSTRACT Vaccinia virus A6L is a previously uncharacterized gene that is conserved in all sequenced vertebrate poxviruses. Here, we constructed a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding A6 with an epitope tag and showed that A6 was expressed in infected cells after viral DNA replication and packaged in the core of the mature virion. Furthermore, we showed that A6 was essential for vaccinia virus replication by performing clustered charge-to-alanine mutagenesis on A6, which resulted in two vaccinia virus mutants (vA6L-mut1 and vA6L-mut2) that displayed a temperature-sensitive phenotype. At 31°C, both mutants replicated efficiently; however, at 40°C, vA6L-mut1 grew to a low titer, while vA6L-mut2 failed to replicate. The A6 protein expressed by vA6L-mut2 exhibited temperature-dependent instability. At the nonpermissive temperature, vA6L-mut2 was normal at viral gene expression and viral factory formation, but it was defective for proteolytic processing of the precursors of several major virion proteins, a defect that is characteristic of a block in virion morphogenesis. Electron microscopy further showed that the morphogenesis of vA6L-mut2 was arrested before the formation of immature virion with nucleoid and mature virion. Taken together, our data show that A6 is a virion core protein that plays an essential role in virion morphogenesis.

ATPγS Disrupts Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Virion Core Integrity

ABSTRACT Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is incorporated within the membrane of primate lentiviral virions. Here we demonstrate that Hsp70 is also incorporated into oncoretroviral virions and that it remains associated with membrane-stripped human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion cores. To determine if Hsp70 promotes virion infectivity, we attempted to generate Hsp70-deficient virions with gag deletion mutations, Hsp70 transdominant mutants, or RNA interference, but these efforts were confounded, largely because they disrupt virion assembly. Given that polypeptide substrates are bound and released by Hsp70 in an ATP-hydrolytic reaction cycle, we supposed that incubation of HIV-1 virions with ATP would perturb Hsp70 interaction with substrates in the virion and thereby decrease infectivity. Treatment with ATP or ADP had no observable effect, but ATPγS and GTPγS, nucleotide triphosphate analogues resistant to Hsp70 hydrolysis, dramatically reduced the infectivity of HIV-1 and murine leukemia virus virions. ATPγS-treated virions were competent for fusion with susceptible target cells, but viral cDNA synthesis was inhibited to an extent that correlated with the magnitude of decrease in infectivity. Intravirion reverse transcription by HIV-1, simian immunodeficiency virus, or murine leukemia virus was also inhibited by ATPγS. The effects of ATPγS on HIV-1 reverse transcription appeared to be indirect, resulting from disruption of virion core morphology that was evident by transmission electron microscopy. Consistent with effects on capsid conformation, ATPγS-treated viruslike particles failed to saturate host antiviral restriction activity. Our observations support a model in which the catalytic activity of virion-associated Hsp70 is required to maintain structural integrity of the virion core.

Multiple Effects of an Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleocapsid Inhibitor on Virus Morphology and Replication

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 nucleocapsid protein is a major structural component of the virion core and a key factor involved in proviral DNA synthesis and virus formation. 2,2′-Dithiobenzamides (DIBA-1) and related compounds that are inhibitors of NCp7 are thought to eject zinc ions from NCp7 zinc fingers, inhibiting the maturation of virion proteins. Here, we show that the presence of DIBA-1 at the time of virus formation causes morphological malformations of the virus and reduces proviral DNA synthesis. Thus, it seems that DIBA-1 is responsible for a “core-freezing effect,” as shown by electron microscopy analyses. DIBA-1 can also directly interfere with the fate of the newly made proviral DNA in a manner independent of its effects on virion core formation. These data strongly suggest that nucleocapsid protein is a prime target for new compounds aimed at inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus and other retroviruses.

Infectivity-deficient vesicular stomatitis virus produced in the presence of interferon has a functional virion core

Interferon induces two antiviral actions against vesicular stomatitis virus by (i) inhibiting viral protein synthesis which leads to a reduction in virion production, and (ii) producing progeny which are deficient in infectivity (VSV1F). At low or physiological concentrations of interferon, while the virion production was decreased by less than 10-fold, the virion infectivity yield was suppressed more than 1000-fold. The VSVIF was found to be deficient (quantitatively) in envelop glycoprotein G and protein M. Tryptic peptide mapping indicated mat there was no detectable structural abnormality in the G, M, and N proteins of VSVIF. The virion cores, lacking only the envelop G protein, isolated from VSVIF and control VSV have essentially identical specific infectivity. This indicated that the virion proteins L, N, NS, and M, as well as viral RNA that make up the virion core, must be functionally normal, and the observed deficiency in G protein was likely to be the cause of the functional deficiency of the virion. Low concentrations of DEAE-dextran, which is known to partially overcome the virion's dependence on the G protein for adsorption to the cell during infection, were found to enhance the infectivity of VSVIF more than the control virion. These results together indicated that the loss of infectivity in the VSV1F was due to the deficiency of the surface glycoprotein G.Key words: interferon, vesicular stomatitis virus, defective virions.