scholarly journals Domain III from class II fusion proteins functions as a dominant-negative inhibitor of virus membrane fusion

2005 ◽  
Vol 171 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maofu Liao ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Fusion Peptides ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
Dominant Negative Inhibitor ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins ◽  
Domain Iii

Alphaviruses and flaviviruses infect cells through low pH-dependent membrane fusion reactions mediated by their structurally similar viral fusion proteins. During fusion, these class II viral fusion proteins trimerize and refold to form hairpin-like structures, with the domain III and stem regions folded back toward the target membrane-inserted fusion peptides. We demonstrate that exogenous domain III can function as a dominant-negative inhibitor of alphavirus and flavivirus membrane fusion and infection. Domain III binds stably to the fusion protein, thus preventing the foldback reaction and blocking the lipid mixing step of fusion. Our data reveal the existence of a relatively long-lived core trimer intermediate with which domain III interacts to initiate membrane fusion. These novel inhibitors of the class II fusion proteins show cross-inhibition within the virus genus and suggest that the domain III–core trimer interaction can serve as a new target for the development of antiviral reagents.

scholarly journals New Biophysical Approaches Reveal the Dynamics and Mechanics of Type I Viral Fusion Machinery and Their Interplay with Membranes

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Benhaim ◽  
Kelly K. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Viral Entry ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Type I ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins

Protein-mediated membrane fusion is a highly regulated biological process essential for cellular and organismal functions and infection by enveloped viruses. During viral entry the membrane fusion reaction is catalyzed by specialized protein machinery on the viral surface. These viral fusion proteins undergo a series of dramatic structural changes during membrane fusion where they engage, remodel, and ultimately fuse with the host membrane. The structural and dynamic nature of these conformational changes and their impact on the membranes have long-eluded characterization. Recent advances in structural and biophysical methodologies have enabled researchers to directly observe viral fusion proteins as they carry out their functions during membrane fusion. Here we review the structure and function of type I viral fusion proteins and mechanisms of protein-mediated membrane fusion. We highlight how recent technological advances and new biophysical approaches are providing unprecedented new insight into the membrane fusion reaction.

scholarly journals Characterization of EBV gB indicates properties of both class I and class II viral fusion proteins

Virology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 368 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Backovic ◽  
George P. Leser ◽  
Robert A. Lamb ◽  
Richard Longnecker ◽  
Theodore S. Jardetzky
Keyword(s):  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Class I ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins

scholarly journals Viral Membrane Fusion and the Transmembrane Domain

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea T. Barrett ◽  
Rebecca Ellis Dutch
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Transmembrane Region ◽  
Host Cell Membrane ◽  
The Past ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins

Initiation of host cell infection by an enveloped virus requires a viral-to-host cell membrane fusion event. This event is mediated by at least one viral transmembrane glycoprotein, termed the fusion protein, which is a key therapeutic target. Viral fusion proteins have been studied for decades, and numerous critical insights into their function have been elucidated. However, the transmembrane region remains one of the most poorly understood facets of these proteins. In the past ten years, the field has made significant advances in understanding the role of the membrane-spanning region of viral fusion proteins. We summarize developments made in the past decade that have contributed to the understanding of the transmembrane region of viral fusion proteins, highlighting not only their critical role in the membrane fusion process, but further demonstrating their involvement in several aspects of the viral lifecycle.

scholarly journals Reevaluating Herpes Simplex Virus Hemifusion

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (22) ◽  
pp. 11814-11821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia O. Jackson ◽  
Richard Longnecker
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Simplex Virus ◽  
Herpes Simplex ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Fusion Pore ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Viral Fusion Protein ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins ◽  
Simplex Virus

ABSTRACT Membrane fusion induced by enveloped viruses proceeds through the actions of viral fusion proteins. Once activated, viral fusion proteins undergo large protein conformational changes to execute membrane fusion. Fusion is thought to proceed through a “hemifusion” intermediate in which the outer membrane leaflets of target and viral membranes mix (lipid mixing) prior to fusion pore formation, enlargement, and completion of fusion. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) requires four glycoproteins—glycoprotein D (gD), glycoprotein B (gB), and a heterodimer of glycoprotein H and L (gH/gL)—to accomplish fusion. gD is primarily thought of as a receptor-binding protein and gB as a fusion protein. The role of gH/gL in fusion has remained enigmatic. Despite experimental evidence that gH/gL may be a fusion protein capable of inducing hemifusion in the absence of gB, the recently solved crystal structure of HSV-2 gH/gL has no structural homology to any known viral fusion protein. We found that in our hands, all HSV entry proteins—gD, gB, and gH/gL—were required to observe lipid mixing in both cell-cell- and virus-cell-based hemifusion assays. To verify that our hemifusion assay was capable of detecting hemifusion, we used glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked hemagglutinin (HA), a variant of the influenza virus fusion protein, HA, known to stall the fusion process before productive fusion pores are formed. Additionally, we found that a mutant carrying an insertion within the short gH cytoplasmic tail, 824L gH, is incapable of executing hemifusion despite normal cell surface expression. Collectively, our findings suggest that HSV gH/gL may not function as a fusion protein and that all HSV entry glycoproteins are required for both hemifusion and fusion. The previously described gH 824L mutation blocks gH/gL function prior to HSV-induced lipid mixing.

scholarly journals Purification and Crystallization Reveal Two Types of Interactions of the Fusion Protein Homotrimer of Semliki Forest Virus

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 3514-3523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don L. Gibbons ◽  
Brigid Reilly ◽  
Anna Ahn ◽  
Marie-Christine Vaney ◽  
Armelle Vigouroux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Class I ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Purification Method ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins

ABSTRACT The fusion proteins of the alphaviruses and flaviviruses have a similar native structure and convert to a highly stable homotrimer conformation during the fusion of the viral and target membranes. The properties of the alpha- and flavivirus fusion proteins distinguish them from the class I viral fusion proteins, such as influenza virus hemagglutinin, and establish them as the first members of the class II fusion proteins. Understanding how this new class carries out membrane fusion will require analysis of the structural basis for both the interaction of the protein subunits within the homotrimer and their interaction with the viral and target membranes. To this end we report a purification method for the E1 ectodomain homotrimer from the alphavirus Semliki Forest virus. The purified protein is trimeric, detergent soluble, retains the characteristic stability of the starting homotrimer, and is free of lipid and other contaminants. In contrast to the postfusion structures that have been determined for the class I proteins, the E1 homotrimer contains the fusion peptide region responsible for interaction with target membranes. This E1 trimer preparation is an excellent candidate for structural studies of the class II viral fusion proteins, and we report conditions that generate three-dimensional crystals suitable for analysis by X-ray diffraction. Determination of the structure will provide our first high-resolution views of both the low-pH-induced trimeric conformation and the target membrane-interacting region of the alphavirus fusion protein.

scholarly journals Class II fusion protein of alphaviruses drives membrane fusion through the same pathway as class I proteins

2005 ◽  
Vol 169 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Zaitseva ◽  
Aditya Mittal ◽  
Diane E. Griffin ◽  
Leonid V. Chernomordik
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Fusion Reactions ◽  
Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin ◽  
Viral Fusion Proteins ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fusion Pores ◽  
Specific Inhibitors

Viral fusion proteins of classes I and II differ radically in their initial structures but refold toward similar conformations upon activation. Do fusion pathways mediated by alphavirus E1 and influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) that exemplify classes II and I differ to reflect the difference in their initial conformations, or concur to reflect the similarity in the final conformations? Here, we dissected the pathway of low pH–triggered E1-mediated cell–cell fusion by reducing the numbers of activated E1 proteins and by blocking different fusion stages with specific inhibitors. The discovered progression from transient hemifusion to small, and then expanding, fusion pores upon an increase in the number of activated fusion proteins parallels that established for HA-mediated fusion. We conclude that proteins as different as E1 and HA drive fusion through strikingly similar membrane intermediates, with the most energy-intensive stages following rather than preceding hemifusion. We propose that fusion reactions catalyzed by all proteins of both classes follow a similar pathway.

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