Semliki Forest virus does not inhibit phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in BHK-21 cells

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick W. Whitehead ◽  
Everard Trip ◽  
Dennis E. Vance

The mechanism by which Semliki Forest virus inhibits the incorporation of [methyl-3H]- choline into phosphatidylcholine has been investigated. Decreased labeling of the lipid was not due to altered uptake of [methyl-3H]choline. The specific activities of choline kinase and CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase were unchanged. The previously observed inhibition (Vance, D. E. &Burke, D. C. (1974) Eur. J. Biochem. 43, 327–336) of CDP-choline:1,2-diacylglycerol phosphocholinetransferase was confirmed. Since the decreased activity of the phosphocholinetransferase may not have caused the reduced labeling of phosphatidylcholine, the amounts of this lipid and its precursors were measured. We observed changes in the concentration of phosphocholine (34 ± 12 and 120 ± 40 nmol∙g cells−1 in mock- and virus infected cells, respectively) and CTP (116 ± 35 and 36 ± 13 nmol∙g cells−1 in mock- and virus-infected cells, respectively). Pulse–chase studies with [methyl-3H]choline demonstrated that, initially, most of the radioactivity was in phosphocholine. As it disappeared from this compound, it appeared in phosphatidylcholine. From these results, we calculated the rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis to be 0.56 and 1.23 nmol∙min−1∙g cells−1 in mock- and virus-infected BHK-21 cells, respectively. We conclude that phosphatidylcholine biosynthesisis not inhibited in Semliki Forest virus infected BHK cells, but rather is stimulated 6.75 h after infection. The decreased labeling observed during pulse studies with [methyl-3H]choline is due to dilution of the labeled choline into a pool of phosphocholine which is 3.5 times larger in the infected cells.

1994 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Wieprecht ◽  
T Wieder ◽  
C C Geilen

We have shown previously that N-[2-bromocinnamyl(amino)-ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulphonamide (H-89), a selective inhibitor of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), inhibits phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in HeLa cells. In the present study, we elucidated the mechanism underlying the described inhibition. Treatment of cells with 10 microM H-89 had no effect on the phosphorylation of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase. However, H-89 slightly affected the distribution of cytidylyltransferase between cytosol and membranes, but the cellular 1,2-diacylglycerol content was not influenced. Furthermore, pulse-chase experiments revealed that H-89 did not affect cytidylyltransferase activity. Instead, H-89 inhibited choline kinase, the enzyme catalysing the first step in the CDP-choline pathway. In the presence of 10 microM H-89, choline kinase activity was inhibited by 36 +/- 7.6% in vitro. Additionally, the phosphorylation of choline to phosphocholine was inhibited by 30 +/- 3% in cell-culture experiments. This inhibitory effect could be partly prevented by simultaneous addition of 10 microM forskolin, indicating that choline kinase is regulated in part by PKA activity.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 1147-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven L. Pelech ◽  
Ellen Power ◽  
Dennis E. Vance

The activities of the enzymes of rat hepatic phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis have been measured as a function of development in the rat (term, 23 days). During the last 5 days of gestation, the specific activity of choline kinase was elevated almost fivefold (p < 0.05). After parturition, choline kinase activity was reduced to adult values by the 5th postnatal day. Over 75% of the total CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase protein in prenatal liver was detected in the cytosolic fraction. On the day of birth, most of the cytidylyltransferase translocated to the microsomes so that the microsomal specific enzyme activity was 3.3-fold higher (p < 0.01) and the cytosolic specific enzyme activity (measured in the presence of phospholipid) was 68% lower (p < 0.001) than the day before parturition. CDPcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase activity (measured in the presence of diacylglycerol) increased 130-fold (p < 0.001) during the last 5 days of gestation. On the 10th postnatal day, cholinephosphotransferase activity was 1.7-fold higher (p < 0.001) than immediately after birth, but declined to adult values by the 19th day. Between the 5th day prior to parturition and the 10th postnatal day, phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity steadily increased 16-fold (p < 0.001). The results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the increase in phosphatidylcholine in rat liver during the perinatal period is due to an increased synthesis of CDPcholine, which is a consequence of the translocation of the cytidylyltransferase from cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum.


1981 ◽  
Vol 200 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Vigo ◽  
D E Vance

It has been known for 40 years that oestrogens stimulate phospholipid metabolism in roosters. We have investigated in vivo the mechanism for this effect. Young roosters were injected daily with 1 mg of diethylstilboestrol for 1--3 days. At 4 h after the last injection, 30 microCi of [Me-3H]choline was injected into the portal vein. At periods up to 3 min the livers were freeze-clamped and choline and its metabolites were extracted and resolved by t.l.c. Hormone treatment in the first 2 days resulted in a 2-fold increase in phosphorylation of [Me-3H]choline and a decrease in the oxidation of [Me-3H]choline to [3H]betaine. The concentrations of phosphocholine in liver were increased 2-fold during the first 2 days concomitant with a 2-fold increase in the rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. After 3 days of hormone treatment, many of the above effects were reversed and the rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis decreased to approx. 60% of the control value. The results suggest that the initial hormone treatments activate choline kinase within 4 h and, thereby, divert choline form oxidation to betaine. The resulting increased phosphocholine concentrations cause an increase in the activity of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase, which results in a doubling of the rate of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. After 3 days of hormone treatment, the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine is decreased, most likely by an effect on the cytidylyltransferase reaction.


2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 676-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi Tamm ◽  
Andres Merits ◽  
Inga Sarand

The cytotoxicity of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infection is caused partly by the non-structural protein nsP2, an essential component of the SFV replicase complex. Due to the presence of a nuclear localization signal (NLS), nsP2 also localizes in the nucleus of infected cells. The present study analysed recombinant SFV replicons and genomes with various deletions or substitutions in the NLS, or with a proline-to-glycine mutation at position 718 of nsP2 (P718G). Deletion of one or two arginine residues from the NLS or substitution of two of the arginines with aspartic acid resulted in a virus with a temperature-sensitive phenotype, and substitution of all three arginines was lethal. Thus, most of the introduced mutations severely affected nsP2 functioning in viral replication; in addition, they inhibited the ability of SFV to induce translational shut-off and kill infected cells. SFV replicons with a P718G mutation or replacement of the NLS residues 648RRR650 with RDD were found to be the least cytotoxic. Corresponding replicons expressed non-structural proteins at normal levels, but had severely reduced genomic RNA synthesis and were virtually unable to replicate and transcribe co-electroporated helper RNA. The non-cytotoxic phenotype was maintained in SFV full-length genomes harbouring the corresponding mutations; however, during a single cycle of cell culture, these were converted to a cytotoxic phenotype, probably due to the accumulation of compensatory mutations.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (15) ◽  
pp. 6725-6733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tero Ahola ◽  
Pekka Kujala ◽  
Minna Tuittila ◽  
Titta Blom ◽  
Pirjo Laakkonen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The membrane-associated alphavirus RNA replication complex contains four virus-encoded subunits, the nonstructural proteins nsP1 to nsP4. Semliki Forest virus (SFV) nsP1 is hydrophobically modified by palmitoylation of cysteines 418 to 420. Here we show that Sindbis virus nsP1 is also palmitoylated on the same site (cysteine 420). When mutations preventing nsP1 palmitoylation were introduced into the genomes of these two alphaviruses, the mutant viruses remained viable and replicated to high titers, although their growth was slightly delayed. The subcellular distribution of palmitoylation-defective nsP1 was altered in the mutant: it no longer localized to filopodial extensions, and a fraction of it was soluble. The ultrastructure of the alphavirus replication sites appeared normal, and the localization of the other nonstructural proteins was unaltered in the mutants. In both wild-type- and mutant-virus-infected cells, SFV nsP3 and nsP4 could be extracted from membranes only by alkaline solutions whereas the nsP2-membrane association was looser. Thus, the membrane binding properties of the alphavirus RNA replication complex were not determined by the palmitoylation of nsP1. The nsP1 palmitoylation-defective alphaviruses produced normal plaques in several cell types, but failed to give rise to plaques in HeLa cells, although they induced normal apoptosis of these cells. The SFV mutant was apathogenic in mice: it caused blood viremia, but no infectious virus was detected in the brain.


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