scholarly journals Membrane fusion mutants of Semliki Forest virus.

1984 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
M C Kielian ◽  
S Keränen ◽  
L Kääriäinen ◽  
A Helenius
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
New Class ◽  
Weak Bases ◽  
Ph Probes

Previous reports have indicated that the entry of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) into cells depends on a membrane fusion reaction catalyzed by the viral spike glycoproteins and triggered by the low pH prevailing in the endosomal compartment. In this study the in vitro pH-dependent fusion of SFV with nuclease-filled liposomes has been used to select for a new class of virus mutants that have a pH-conditional defect. The mutants obtained had a threshold for fusion of pH 5.5 as compared with the wild-type threshold of 6.2, when assayed by polykaryon formation, fusion with liposomes, or fusion at the plasma membrane. They were fully capable of infecting cells under standard infection conditions but were more sensitive to lysosomotropic agents that increase the pH in acidic vacuoles of the endocytic pathway. The mutants were, moreover, able to penetrate and infect baby hamster kidney-21 cells at 20 degrees C, indicating that the endosomes have a pH below 5.5. The results confirm the involvement of pH-triggered fusion in SFV entry, emphasize the central role played by acidic endosomal vacuoles in this reaction, shed further light on the mechanism of SFV inhibition by lysosomotropic weak bases, and demonstrate the usefulness of mutant viruses as biological pH probes of the endocytic pathway.

scholarly journals Cholesterol is required for infection by Semliki Forest virus.

1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Phalen ◽  
M Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Hydroxyl Group ◽  
Target Membrane ◽  
Vesicular Stomatitis ◽  
Infection Pathway

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and many other enveloped animal viruses enter cells by a membrane fusion reaction triggered by the low pH within the endocytic pathway. In vitro, SFV fusion requires cholesterol in the target membrane, but the role of cholesterol in vivo is unknown. In this paper, the infection pathway of SFV was studied in mammalian and inset cells substantially depleted of sterol. Cholesterol-depleted cells were unaltered in their ability to bind, internalize, and acidify virus, but were blocked in SFV fusion and subsequent virus replication. Depleted cells could be infected by the cholesterol-independent vesicular stomatitis virus, which also enters cells via endocytosis and low pH-mediated fusion. The block in SFV infection was specifically reversed by cholesterol but not by cholestenone, which lacks the critical 3 beta-hydroxyl group. Cholesterol thus is central in the infection pathway of SFV, and may act in vivo to modulate infection by SFV and other pathogens.

scholarly journals Furin Processing and Proteolytic Activation of Semliki Forest Virus

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 2981-2989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyong Zhang ◽  
Martin Fugère ◽  
Robert Day ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Proteolytic Activation ◽  
Control Virus

ABSTRACT The alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a low-pH-dependent membrane fusion reaction mediated by the E1 envelope protein. Fusion is regulated by the interaction of E1 with the receptor-binding protein E2. E2 is synthesized as a precursor termed “p62,” which forms a stable heterodimer with E1 and is processed late in the secretory pathway by a cellular furin-like protease. Once processing to E2 occurs, the E1/E2 heterodimer is destabilized so that it is more readily dissociated by exposure to low pH, allowing fusion and infection. We have used FD11 cells, a furin-deficient CHO cell line, to characterize the processing of p62 and its role in the control of virus fusion and infection. p62 was not cleaved in FD11 cells and cleavage was restored in FD11 cell transfectants expressing human furin. Studies of unprocessed virus produced in FD11 cells (wt/p62) demonstrated that the p62 protein was efficiently cleaved by purified furin in vitro, without requiring prior exposure to low pH. wt/p62 virus particles were also processed during their endocytic uptake in furin-containing cells, resulting in more efficient virus infection. wt/p62 virus was compared with mutant L, in which p62 cleavage was blocked by mutation of the furin-recognition motif. wt/p62 and mutant L had similar fusion properties, requiring a much lower pH than control virus to trigger fusion and fusogenic E1 conformational changes. However, the in vivo infectivity of mutant L was more strongly inhibited than that of wt/p62, due to additional effects of the mutation on virus-cell binding.

scholarly journals Novel Mutations That Control the Sphingolipid and Cholesterol Dependence of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (24) ◽  
pp. 12712-12722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prodyot K. Chatterjee ◽  
Christina H. Eng ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Fusion Peptide ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Novel Mutations ◽  
E1 Protein ◽  
Target Membrane

ABSTRACT The enveloped alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a membrane fusion reaction mediated by the E1 membrane protein. Efficient SFV-membrane fusion requires the presence of cholesterol and sphingolipid in the target membrane. Here we report on two mutants, srf-4 and srf-5, selected for growth in cholesterol-depleted cells. Like the previously isolated srf-3 mutant (E1 proline 226 to serine), the phenotypes of the srf-4 and srf-5 mutants were conferred by single-amino-acid changes in the E1 protein: leucine 44 to phenylalanine and valine 178 to alanine, respectively. Like srf-3, srf-4 and srf-5 show striking increases in the cholesterol independence of growth, infection, membrane fusion, and exit. Unexpectedly, and unlike srf-3, srf-4 and srf-5 showed highly efficient fusion with sphingolipid-free membranes in both lipid- and content-mixing assays. Both srf-4 and srf-5 formed E1 homotrimers of decreased stability compared to the homotrimers of the wild type and the srf-3 mutant. All three srf mutations lie in the same domain of E1, but the srf-4 and srf-5 mutations are spatially separated from srf-3. When expressed together, the three mutations could interact to produce increased sterol independence and to cause temperature-sensitive E1 transport. Thus, the srf-4 and srf-5 mutations identify novel regions of E1 that are distinct from the fusion peptide and srf-3 region and modulate the requirements for both sphingolipid and cholesterol in virus-membrane fusion.

scholarly journals In Vitro Reconstitution Reveals Key Intermediate States of Trimer Formation by the Dengue Virus Membrane Fusion Protein

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 5730-5740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maofu Liao ◽  
Claudia Sánchez-San Martín ◽  
Aihua Zheng ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Viral Envelope ◽  
Interaction Sites ◽  
E Protein ◽  
Hairpin Formation

ABSTRACT The flavivirus dengue virus (DV) infects cells through a low-pH-triggered membrane fusion reaction mediated by the viral envelope protein E. E is an elongated transmembrane protein with three domains and is organized as a homodimer on the mature virus particle. During fusion, the E protein homodimer dissociates, inserts the hydrophobic fusion loop into target membranes, and refolds into a trimeric hairpin in which domain III (DIII) packs against the central trimer. It is clear that E refolding drives membrane fusion, but the steps in hairpin formation and their pH requirements are unclear. Here, we have used truncated forms of the DV E protein to reconstitute trimerization in vitro. Protein constructs containing domains I and II (DI/II) were monomeric and interacted with membranes to form core trimers. DI/II-membrane interaction and trimerization occurred efficiently at both neutral and low pH. The DI/II core trimer was relatively unstable and could be stabilized by binding exogenous DIII or by the formation of mixed trimers containing DI/II plus E protein with all three domains. The mixed trimer had unoccupied DIII interaction sites that could specifically bind exogenous DIII at either low or neutral pH. Truncated DV E proteins thus reconstitute hairpin formation and define properties of key domain interactions during DV fusion.

scholarly journals An Epitope of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein Exposed during Virus-Membrane Fusion

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 10029-10039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ahn ◽  
Matthew R. Klimjack ◽  
Prodyot K. Chatterjee ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Fusion Peptide ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Viral Fusion ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACT Semliki Forest virus (SFV) is an enveloped alphavirus that infects cells via a membrane fusion reaction triggered by acidic pH in the endocytic pathway. Fusion is mediated by the spike protein E1 subunit, an integral membrane protein that contains the viral fusion peptide and forms a stable homotrimer during fusion. We have characterized four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for the acid conformation of E1. These MAbs did not inhibit fusion, suggesting that they bind to an E1 region different from the fusion peptide. Competition analyses demonstrated that all four MAbs bound to spatially related sites on acid-treated virions or isolated spike proteins. To map the binding site, we selected for virus mutants resistant to one of the MAbs, E1a-1. One virus isolate, SFV 4-2, showed reduced binding of three acid-specific MAbs including E1a-1, while its binding of one acid-specific MAb as well as non-acid-specific MAbs to E1 and E2 was unchanged. The SFV 4-2 mutant was fully infectious, formed the E1 homotrimer, and had the wild-type pH dependence of infection. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the relevant mutation in SFV 4-2 was a change of E1 glycine 157 to arginine (G157R). Decreased binding of MAb E1a-1 was observed under a wide range of assay conditions, strongly suggesting that the E1 G157R mutation directly affects the MAb binding site. These data thus localize an E1 region that is normally hidden in the neutral pH structure and becomes exposed as part of the reorganization of the spike protein to its fusion-active conformation.

scholarly journals Biochemical Consequences of a Mutation That Controls the Cholesterol Dependence of Semliki Forest Virus Fusion

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1623-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prodyot K. Chatterjee ◽  
Malini Vashishtha ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Single Amino Acid Change ◽  
Target Membrane ◽  
Alphavirus Infection

ABSTRACT The enveloped alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a low-pH-triggered membrane fusion reaction that requires cholesterol and sphingolipid in the target membrane. Cholesterol-depleted insect cells are highly resistant to alphavirus infection and were used to select srf-3, an SFV mutant that is ∼100-fold less cholesterol dependent for infection due to a single amino acid change in the E1 spike subunit, proline 226 to serine. Sensitive lipid-mixing assays here demonstrated that the in vitro fusion of srf-3 and wild-type (wt) virus with cholesterol-containing liposomes had comparable kinetics, activation energies, and sphingolipid dependence. In contrast, srf-3fusion with sterol-free liposomes was significantly more efficient than that of wt virus. Thus, the srf-3 mutation does not affect its general fusion properties with purified lipid bilayers but causes a marked and specific reduction in cholesterol dependence. Upon exposure to low pH, the E1 spike subunit undergoes distinct conformational changes, resulting in the exposure of an acid conformation-specific epitope and formation of an E1 homotrimer. These conformational changes were strongly cholesterol and sphingolipid dependent for wt SFV and strikingly less cholesterol dependent for srf-3. Our results thus demonstrate the functional importance of fusogenic E1 conformational changes in the control of SFV cholesterol dependence.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of mutations inhibiting fusion and infection by Semliki Forest virus.

1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Kielian ◽  
M R Klimjack ◽  
S Ghosh ◽  
W A Duffus
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Cell Fusion ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Infectious Clone ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Initial Reaction ◽  
Target Membrane ◽  
Cell Cell

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells by an acid-dependent membrane fusion reaction catalyzed by the virus spike protein, a complex containing E1 and E2 transmembrane subunits. E1 carries the putative virus fusion peptide, and mutations in this domain of the spike protein were previously shown to shift the pH threshold of cell-cell fusion (G91A), or block cell-cell fusion (G91D). We have used an SFV infectious clone to characterize virus particles containing these mutations. In keeping with the previous spike protein results, G91A virus showed limited secondary infection and an acid-shifted fusion threshold, while G91D virus was noninfectious and inactive in both cell-cell and virus-liposome fusion assays. During the low pH- induced SFV fusion reaction, the E1 subunit exposes new epitopes for monoclonal antibody (mAb) binding and forms an SDS-resistant homotrimer, the virus associates hydrophobically with the target membrane, and fusion of the virus and target membranes occurs. After low pH treatment, G91A spike proteins were shown to bind conformation-specific mAbs, associate with target liposome membranes, and form the E1 homotrimer. However, both G91A membrane association and homotrimer formation had an acid-shifted pH threshold and reduced efficiency compared to wt virus. In contrast, studies of the fusion-defective G91D mutant showed that the virus efficiently reacted with low pH as assayed by mAb binding and liposome association, but was essentially inactive in homotrimer formation. These results suggest that the G91D mutant is noninfectious due to a block in a late step in membrane fusion, separate from the initial reaction to low pH and interaction with the target membrane, and involving the lack of efficient formation of the E1 homotrimer.

scholarly journals A Conserved Histidine in the ij Loop of the Semliki Forest Virus E1 Protein Plays an Important Role in Membrane Fusion

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (24) ◽  
pp. 13543-13552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Chanel-Vos ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Infectious Clone ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Sequence Comparisons ◽  
E1 Protein ◽  
Fusion Loop

ABSTRACT The enveloped alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a low pH-triggered membrane fusion reaction mediated by the E1 protein. E1 is a class II fusion protein that contains the hydrophobic fusion peptide loop and converts to a stable homotrimer during the fusion reaction. Intriguingly, the fusion loop is closely associated with a loop connecting the i and j β-strands. This ij loop plays a role in the cholesterol dependence of membrane fusion and is specifically susceptible to proteolysis in the protease-resistant E1 homotrimer. The SFV ij loop contains a histidine residue at position 230. Sequence comparisons revealed that an analogous histidine is completely conserved in all alphavirus and flavivirus fusion proteins. An E1 H230A mutant was constructed using the SFV infectious clone. Although cells infected with H230A RNA produced virus particles, these virions were completely noninfectious and were blocked in both cell-cell fusion and lipid mixing assays. The H230A virions efficiently bound to cell surface receptors and responded to low pH by undergoing acid-dependent conformational changes including dissociation of the E1/E2 dimer, exposure of the fusion loop, association with target liposomes, exposure of acid-conformation-specific epitopes, and formation of the stable E1 homotrimer. Studies with a soluble fragment of E1 showed that the mutant protein was defective in lipid-dependent conformational changes. Our results indicate that the E1 ij loop and the conserved H230 residue play a critical role in alphavirus-membrane fusion and suggest the presence of a previously undescribed late intermediate in the fusion reaction.

scholarly journals Role of Conserved Histidine Residues in the Low-pH Dependence of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 4670-4677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-ling Qin ◽  
Yan Zheng ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Acidic Ph ◽  
Virus Growth ◽  
Histidine Residues

ABSTRACT A wide variety of enveloped viruses infects cells by taking advantage of the low pH in the endocytic pathway to trigger virus-membrane fusion. For alphaviruses such as Semliki Forest virus (SFV), acidic pH initiates a series of conformational changes in the heterodimeric virus envelope proteins E1 and E2. Low pH dissociates the E2/E1 dimer, releasing the membrane fusion protein E1. E1 inserts into the target membrane and refolds to a trimeric hairpin conformation, thus driving the fusion reaction. The means by which E1 senses and responds to low pH is unclear, and protonation of conserved E1 histidine residues has been proposed as a possible mechanism. We tested the role of four conserved histidines by mutagenesis of the wild-type (wt) SFV infectious clone to create virus mutants with E1 H3A, H125A, H331A, and H331A/H333A mutations. The H125A, H331A, and H331A/H333A mutants had growth properties similar to those of wt SFV and showed modest change or no change in the pH dependence of virus-membrane fusion. By contrast, the E1 H3A mutation produced impaired virus growth and a markedly more acidic pH requirement for virus-membrane fusion. The dissociation of the H3A heterodimer and the membrane insertion of the mutant E1 protein were comparable to those of the wt in efficiency and pH dependence. However, the formation of the H3A homotrimer required a much lower pH and showed reduced efficiency. Together, these results and the location of H3 suggest that this residue acts to regulate the low-pH-dependent refolding of E1 during membrane fusion.

scholarly journals E1 Mutants Identify a Critical Region in the Trimer Interface of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (21) ◽  
pp. 11298-11306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Y. Liu ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Fusion Reaction ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Infectious Clone ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Target Membrane

ABSTRACT The alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) uses a membrane fusion reaction to infect host cells. Fusion of the virus and cell membranes is triggered by low pH in the endosome and is mediated by the viral membrane protein E1. During fusion, E1 inserts into the target membrane, trimerizes, and refolds into a hairpin conformation. Formation of the E1 homotrimer is critical to membrane fusion, but the mechanism of trimerization is not understood. The crystal structure of the postfusion E1 trimer shows that an aspartate residue, D188, is positioned in the central core trimer interface. D188 is conserved in all reported alphavirus E1 sequences. We tested the contribution of this amino acid to trimerization and fusion by replacing D188 with alanine (D188A) or lysine (D188K) in an SFV infectious clone. These mutations were predicted to disrupt specific interactions at this position and/or change their pH dependence. Our results indicated that the D188K mutation blocked SFV fusion and infection. At low pH, D188K E1 inserted into target membranes but was trapped as a target membrane-inserted monomer that did not efficiently form the stable core trimer. In contrast, the D188A mutant was infectious, although trimerization and fusion required a lower pH. While there are extensive contacts between E1 subunits in the homotrimer, the D188K mutant identifies an important “hot spot” for protein-protein interactions within the core trimer.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document