scholarly journals Strength in Diversity: Nuclear Export of Viral RNAs

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jón Pol Gales ◽  
Julie Kubina ◽  
Angèle Geldreich ◽  
Maria Dimitrova

The nuclear export of cellular mRNAs is a complex process that requires the orchestrated participation of many proteins that are recruited during the early steps of mRNA synthesis and processing. This strategy allows the cell to guarantee the conformity of the messengers accessing the cytoplasm and the translation machinery. Most transcripts are exported by the exportin dimer Nuclear RNA export factor 1 (NXF1)–NTF2-related export protein 1 (NXT1) and the transcription–export complex 1 (TREX1). Some mRNAs that do not possess all the common messenger characteristics use either variants of the NXF1–NXT1 pathway or CRM1, a different exportin. Viruses whose mRNAs are synthesized in the nucleus (retroviruses, the vast majority of DNA viruses, and influenza viruses) exploit both these cellular export pathways. Viral mRNAs hijack the cellular export machinery via complex secondary structures recognized by cellular export factors and/or viral adapter proteins. This way, the viral transcripts succeed in escaping the host surveillance system and are efficiently exported for translation, allowing the infectious cycle to proceed. This review gives an overview of the cellular mRNA nuclear export mechanisms and presents detailed insights into the most important strategies that viruses use to export the different forms of their RNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1049
Author(s):  
Belinda Baquero-Perez ◽  
Daryl Geers ◽  
Juana Díez

There are over 100 different chemical RNA modifications, collectively known as the epitranscriptome. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most commonly found internal RNA modification in cellular mRNAs where it plays important roles in the regulation of the mRNA structure, stability, translation and nuclear export. This modification is also found in viral RNA genomes and in viral mRNAs derived from both RNA and DNA viruses. A growing body of evidence indicates that m6A modifications play important roles in regulating viral replication by interacting with the cellular m6A machinery. In this review, we will exhaustively detail the current knowledge on m6A modification, with an emphasis on its function in virus biology.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 931-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyne Lévesque ◽  
Yeou-Cherng Bor ◽  
Leah H. Matzat ◽  
Li Jin ◽  
Stephen Berberoglu ◽  
...  

Interactions between transport receptors and phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeats on nucleoporins drive the translocation of receptor-cargo complexes through nuclear pores. Tap, a transport receptor that mediates nuclear export of cellular mRNAs, contains a UBA-like and NTF2-like folds that can associate directly with FG repeats. In addition, two nuclear export sequences (NESs) within the NTF2-like region can also interact with nucleoporins. The Tap-RNA complex was shown to bind to three nucleoporins, Nup98, p62, and RanBP2, and these interactions were enhanced by Nxt1. Mutations in the Tap-UBA region abolished interactions with all three nucleoporins, whereas the effect of point mutations within the NTF2-like domain of Tap known to disrupt Nxt1 binding or nucleoporin binding were nucleoporin dependent. A mutation in any of these Tap domains was sufficient to reduce RNA export but was not sufficient to disrupt Tap interaction with the NPC in vivo or its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. However, shuttling activity was reduced or abolished by combined mutations within the UBA and either the Nxt1-binding domain or NESs. These data suggest that Tap requires both the UBA- and NTF2-like domains to mediate the export of RNA cargo, but can move through the pores independently of these domains when free of RNA cargo.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (20) ◽  
pp. 9353-9361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Heather L. Wiegand ◽  
Jin Yang ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen

ABSTRACT Nuclear export of the incompletely spliced mRNAs encoded by several complex retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), is dependent on a virally encoded adapter protein, termed Rev in HIV-1, that directly binds both to a cis-acting viral RNA target site and to the cellular Crm1 export factor. Human endogenous retrovirus K, a family of ancient endogenous retroviruses that is not related to the exogenous retrovirus HIV-1, was recently shown to also encode a Crm1-dependent nuclear RNA export factor, termed K-Rev. Although HIV-1 Rev and K-Rev display little sequence identity, they share the ability not only to bind to Crm1 and to RNA but also to form homomultimers and shuttle between nucleus and cytoplasm. We have used mutational analysis to identify sequences in the 105-amino-acid K-Rev protein required for each of these distinct biological activities. While mutations in K-Rev that inactivate any one of these properties also blocked K-Rev-dependent nuclear RNA export, several K-Rev mutants were comparable to wild type when assayed for any of these individual activities yet nevertheless defective for RNA export. Although several nonfunctional K-Rev mutants acted as dominant negative inhibitors of K-Rev-, but not HIV-1 Rev-, dependent RNA export, these were not defined by their inability to bind to Crm1, as is seen with HIV-1 Rev. In total, this analysis suggests a functional architecture for K-Rev that is similar to, but distinct from, that described for HIV-1 Rev and raises the possibility that viral RNA export mediated by the ∼25 million-year-old K-Rev protein may require an additional cellular cofactor that is not required for HIV-1 Rev function.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (14) ◽  
pp. 6684-6688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Rabino ◽  
Anders Aspegren ◽  
Kara Corbin-Lickfett ◽  
Eileen Bridge

ABSTRACT Adenovirus late mRNA export is facilitated by viral early proteins of 55 and 34 kDa. The 34-kDa protein contains a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) similar to that of the human immunodeficiency virus Rev protein. It was proposed that the 34-kDa protein might facilitate the export of adenovirus late mRNA through a Rev-like NES-mediated export pathway. We have tested the role of NES-mediated RNA export during adenovirus infection, and we find that it is not essential for the expression of adenovirus late genes.


1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 8627-8635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Asier Echarri ◽  
Ted M. Ross ◽  
Bryan R. Cullen

ABSTRACT The hypothesis that the cellular protein Crm1 mediates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Rev-dependent nuclear export posits that Crm1 can directly interact both with the Rev nuclear export signal (NES) and with cellular nucleoporins. Here, we demonstrate that Crm1 is indeed able to interact with active but not defective forms of the HIV-1 Rev NES and of NESs found in other retroviral nuclear export factors. In addition, we demonstrate that Crm1 can bind the Rev NES when Rev is assembled onto the Rev response element RNA target and that Crm1, like Rev, is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle protein. Crm1 also specifically binds the Rev NES in vitro, although this latter interaction is detectable only in the presence of added Ran · GTP. Overexpression of a truncated, defective form of the nucleoporin Nup214/CAN, termed ΔCAN, that retains Crm1 binding ability resulted in the effective inhibition of HIV-1 Rev or human T-cell leukemia virus Rex-dependent gene expression. In contrast, ΔCAN had no significant affect on Mason-Pfizer monkey virus constitutive transport element (MPMV CTE)-dependent nuclear RNA export or on the expression of RNAs dependent on the cellular mRNA export pathway. As a result, ΔCAN specifically blocked late, but not early, HIV-1 gene expression in HIV-1-infected cells. These data strongly validate Crm1 as a cellular cofactor for HIV-1 Rev and demonstrate that the MPMV CTE nuclear RNA export pathway uses a distinct, Crm1-independent mechanism. In addition, these data identify a novel and highly potent inhibitor of leucine-rich NES-dependent nuclear export.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (52) ◽  
pp. E12218-E12227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Guijun Shang ◽  
Abhilash Padavannil ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Ramanavelan Sakthivel ◽  
...  

The influenza virulence factor NS1 protein interacts with the cellular NS1-BP protein to promote splicing and nuclear export of the viral M mRNAs. The viral M1 mRNA encodes the M1 matrix protein and is alternatively spliced into the M2 mRNA, which is translated into the M2 ion channel. These proteins have key functions in viral trafficking and budding. To uncover the NS1-BP structural and functional activities in splicing and nuclear export, we performed proteomics analysis of nuclear NS1-BP binding partners and showed its interaction with constituents of the splicing and mRNA export machineries. NS1-BP BTB domains form dimers in the crystal. Full-length NS1-BP is a dimer in solution and forms at least a dimer in cells. Mutations suggest that dimerization is important for splicing. The central BACK domain of NS1-BP interacts directly with splicing factors such as hnRNP K and PTBP1 and with the viral NS1 protein. The BACK domain is also the site for interactions with mRNA export factor Aly/REF and is required for viral M mRNA nuclear export. The crystal structure of the C-terminal Kelch domain shows that it forms a β-propeller fold, which is required for the splicing function of NS1-BP. This domain interacts with the polymerase II C-terminal domain and SART1, which are involved in recruitment of splicing factors and spliceosome assembly, respectively. NS1-BP functions are not only critical for processing a subset of viral mRNAs but also impact levels and nuclear export of a subset of cellular mRNAs encoding factors involved in metastasis and immunity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 2642-2651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Blanchette ◽  
Kathrin Kindsmüller ◽  
Peter Groitl ◽  
Frédéric Dallaire ◽  
Thomas Speiseder ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT During the adenovirus infectious cycle, the early proteins E4orf6 and E1B55K are known to perform several functions. These include nuclear export of late viral mRNAs, a block of nuclear export of the bulk of cellular mRNAs, and the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of selected proteins, including p53 and Mre11. Degradation of these proteins occurs via a cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that is assembled through interactions between elongins B and C and BC boxes present in E4orf6 to form a cullin 5-based ligase complex. E1B55K, which has been known for some time to associate with the E4orf6 protein, is thought to bind to specific substrate proteins to bring them to the complex for ubiquitination. Earlier studies with E4orf6 mutants indicated that the interaction between the E4orf6 and E1B55K proteins is optimal only when E4orf6 is able to form the ligase complex. These and other observations suggested that most if not all of the functions ascribed to E4orf6 and E1B55K during infection, including the control of mRNA export, are achieved through the degradation of specific substrates by the E4orf6 ubiquitin ligase activity. We have tested this hypothesis through the generation of a virus mutant in which the E4orf6 product is unable to form a ligase complex and indeed have found that this mutant behaves identically to an E4orf6− virus in production of late viral proteins, growth, and export of the late viral L5 mRNA.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (13) ◽  
pp. 6598-6604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Blissenbach ◽  
Bastian Grewe ◽  
Bianca Hoffmann ◽  
Sabine Brandt ◽  
Klaus Überla

ABSTRACT Although the viral Rev protein is necessary for HIV replication, its main function in the viral replication cycle has been controversial. Reinvestigating the effect of Rev on the HIV-1 RNA distribution in various cell lines and primary cells revealed that Rev enhanced cytoplasmic levels of the unspliced HIV-1 RNA, mostly 3- to 12-fold, while encapsidation of the RNA and viral infectivity could be stimulated >1,000-fold. Although this clearly questions the general notion that the nuclear export of viral RNAs is the major function of Rev, mechanistically encapsidation seems to be linked to nuclear export, since the tethering of the nuclear export factor TAP to the HIV-1 RNA also enhanced encapsidation. Interference with the formation of an inhibitory ribonucleoprotein complex in the nucleus could lead to enhanced accessibility of the cytoplasmic HIV-1 RNA for translation and encapsidation. This might explain why Rev and tethered TAP exert the same pattern of pleiotropic effects.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucija Bujanic ◽  
Olga Shevchuk ◽  
Nicolai von Kuegelgen ◽  
Katarzyna Ludwik ◽  
David Koppstein ◽  
...  

SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the ongoing global pandemic, must overcome a conundrum faced by all viruses. To achieve its own replication and spread, it simultaneously depends on and subverts cellular mechanisms. At the early stage of infection, SARS-CoV-2 expresses the viral nonstructural protein 1 (NSP1), which inhibits host translation by blocking the mRNA entry tunnel on the ribosome; this interferes with the binding of cellular mRNAs to the ribosome. Viral mRNAs, on the other hand, overcome this blockade. We show that NSP1 enhances expression of mRNAs containing the SARS-CoV-2 leader. The first stem-loop (SL1) in viral leader is both necessary and sufficient for this enhancement mechanism. Our analysis pinpoints specific residues within SL1 (three cytosine residues at the positions 15, 19 and 20) and another within NSP1 (R124) which are required for viral evasion, and thus might present promising drug targets. Additionally, we carried out analysis of a functional interactome of NSP1 using BioID and identified components of anti-viral defense pathways. Our analysis therefore suggests a mechanism by which NSP1 inhibits the expression of host genes while enhancing that of viral RNA. This analysis helps reconcile conflicting reports in the literature regarding the mechanisms by which the virus avoids NSP1 silencing.


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