scholarly journals Functional Importance of Hydrophobic Patches on the Ebola Virus VP35 IFN-Inhibitory Domain

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2316
Author(s):  
Nodoka Kasajima ◽  
Keita Matsuno ◽  
Hiroko Miyamoto ◽  
Masahiro Kajihara ◽  
Manabu Igarashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Type I ◽  
Multifunctional Protein ◽  
Functional Sites ◽  
Inhibitory Function ◽  
Inhibitory Domain

Viral protein 35 (VP35) of Ebola virus (EBOV) is a multifunctional protein that mainly acts as a viral polymerase cofactor and an interferon antagonist. VP35 interacts with the viral nucleoprotein (NP) and double-stranded RNA for viral RNA transcription/replication and inhibition of type I interferon (IFN) production, respectively. The C-terminal portion of VP35, which is termed the IFN-inhibitory domain (IID), is important for both functions. To further identify critical regions in this domain, we analyzed the physical properties of the surface of VP35 IID, focusing on hydrophobic patches, which are expected to be functional sites that are involved in interactions with other molecules. Based on the known structural information of VP35 IID, three hydrophobic patches were identified on its surface and their biological importance was investigated using minigenome and IFN-β promoter-reporter assays. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that some of the amino acid substitutions that were predicted to disrupt the hydrophobicity of the patches significantly decreased the efficiency of viral genome replication/transcription due to reduced interaction with NP, suggesting that the hydrophobic patches might be critical for the formation of a replication complex through the interaction with NP. It was also found that the hydrophobic patches were involved in the IFN-inhibitory function of VP35. These results highlight the importance of hydrophobic patches on the surface of EBOV VP35 IID and also indicate that patch analysis is useful for the identification of amino acid residues that directly contribute to protein functions.

scholarly journals Reverse Genetic Generation of Recombinant Zaire Ebola Viruses Containing Disrupted IRF-3 Inhibitory Domains Results in Attenuated Virus Growth In Vitro and Higher Levels of IRF-3 Activation without Inhibiting Viral Transcription or Replication

2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (13) ◽  
pp. 6430-6440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy L. Hartman ◽  
Jason E. Dover ◽  
Jonathan S. Towner ◽  
Stuart T. Nichol
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Viral Transcription ◽  
Type I ◽  
Virus Growth ◽  
Recombinant Viruses ◽  
Inhibitory Function ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Inhibitory Domain

ABSTRACT The VP35 protein of Zaire Ebola virus is an essential component of the viral RNA polymerase complex and also functions to antagonize the cellular type I interferon (IFN) response by blocking activation of the transcription factor IRF-3. We previously mapped the IRF-3 inhibitory domain within the C terminus of VP35. In the present study, we show that mutations that disrupt the IRF-3 inhibitory function of VP35 do not disrupt viral transcription/replication, suggesting that the two functions of VP35 are separable. Second, using reverse genetics, we successfully recovered recombinant Ebola viruses containing mutations within the IRF-3 inhibitory domain. Importantly, we show that the recombinant viruses were attenuated for growth in cell culture and that they activated IRF-3 and IRF-3-inducible gene expression at levels higher than that for Ebola virus containing wild-type VP35. In the context of Ebola virus pathogenesis, VP35 may function to limit early IFN-β production and other antiviral signals generated from cells at the primary site of infection, thereby slowing down the host's ability to curb virus replication and induce adaptive immunity.

scholarly journals Quercetin Blocks Ebola Virus Infection by Counteracting the VP24 Interferon-Inhibitory Function

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Fanunza ◽  
Mathieu Iampietro ◽  
Simona Distinto ◽  
Angela Corona ◽  
Marina Quartu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Type I ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Inhibitory Function ◽  
Viral Binding ◽  
Ebov Infection ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Tight Correlation ◽  
Ebola Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Ebola virus (EBOV) is among the most devastating pathogens causing fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans. The epidemics from 2013 to 2016 resulted in more than 11,000 deaths, and another outbreak is currently ongoing. Since there is no FDA-approved drug so far to fight EBOV infection, there is an urgent need to focus on drug discovery. Considering the tight correlation between the high EBOV virulence and its ability to suppress the type I interferon (IFN-I) system, identifying molecules targeting viral protein VP24, one of the main virulence determinants blocking the IFN response, is a promising novel anti-EBOV therapy approach. Hence, in the effort to find novel EBOV inhibitors, a screening of a small set of flavonoids was performed; it showed that quercetin and wogonin can suppress the VP24 effect on IFN-I signaling inhibition. The mechanism of action of the most active compound, quercetin, showing a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 7.4 μM, was characterized to significantly restore the IFN-I signaling cascade, blocked by VP24, by directly interfering with the VP24 binding to karyopherin-α and thus restoring P-STAT1 nuclear transport and IFN gene transcription. Quercetin significantly blocked viral infection, specifically targeting EBOV VP24 anti-IFN-I function. Overall, quercetin is the first identified inhibitor of the EBOV VP24 anti-IFN function, representing a molecule interacting with a viral binding site that is very promising for further drug development aiming to block EBOV infection at the early steps.

scholarly journals Identification of Natural Molecular Determinants of Ross River Virus Type I Interferon Modulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Liu ◽  
Margit Mutso ◽  
Liubov Cherkashchenko ◽  
Eva Zusinaite ◽  
Lara J. Herrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Type I Interferon ◽  
Nonstructural Protein ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Type I Interferons ◽  
Ross River Virus ◽  
Type I ◽  
Type I Ifn ◽  
Nonstructural Protein 1

ABSTRACT Ross River virus (RRV) belongs to the genus Alphavirus and is prevalent in Australia. RRV infection can cause arthritic symptoms in patients and may include rash, fever, arthralgia, and myalgia. Type I interferons (IFN) are the primary antiviral cytokines and trigger activation of the host innate immune system to suppress the replication of invading viruses. Alphaviruses are able to subvert the type I IFN system, but the mechanisms used are ill defined. In this study, seven RRV field strains were analyzed for induction of and sensitivity to type I IFN. The sensitivities of these strains to human IFN-β varied significantly and were highest for the RRV 2548 strain. Compared to prototype laboratory strain RRV-T48, RRV 2548 also induced higher type I IFN levels both in vitro and in vivo and caused milder disease. To identify the determinants involved in type I IFN modulation, the region encoding the nonstructural proteins (nsPs) of RRV 2548 was sequenced, and 42 amino acid differences from RRV-T48 were identified. Using fragment swapping and site-directed mutagenesis, we discovered that substitutions E402A and R522Q in nsP1 as well as Q619R in nsP2 were responsible for increased sensitivity of RRV 2548 to type I IFN. In contrast, substitutions A31T, N219T, S580L, and Q619R in nsP2 led to induction of higher levels of type I IFN. With exception of E402A, all these variations are common for naturally occurring RRV strains. However, they are different from all known determinants of type I IFN modulation reported previously in nsPs of alphaviruses. IMPORTANCE By identifying natural Ross River virus (RRV) amino acid determinants for type I interferon (IFN) modulation, this study gives further insight into the mechanism of type I IFN modulation by alphaviruses. Here, the crucial role of type I IFN in the early stages of RRV disease pathogenesis is further demonstrated. This study also provides a comparison of the roles of different parts of the RRV nonstructural region in type I IFN modulation, highlighting the importance of nonstructural protein 1 (nsP1) and nsP2 in this process. Three substitutions in nsP1 and nsP2 were found to be independently associated with enhanced type I IFN sensitivity, and four independent substitutions in nsP2 were important in elevated type I IFN induction. Such evidence has clear implications for RRV immunobiology, persistence, and pathology. The identification of viral proteins that modulate type I IFN may also have importance for the pathogenesis of other alphaviruses.

scholarly journals The face of TSR revealed

2002 ◽  
Vol 159 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy L. Silverstein
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Type I ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Multifunctional Protein ◽  
Binding Partners ◽  
Multiple Binding ◽  
Great Insight ◽  
The Face ◽  
Insight Into

In this issue, Tan et al. (2002) report the first high resolution (1.9 Å) structural data for thrombospondin (TSP)-1, a large multifunctional protein that regulates cell adhesion, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and survival, TGFβ activation, and protease function (for review see Chen et al., 2000). Because TSP-1 has multiple binding partners and many functions, precise structural information is crucial to understanding its biology. The structure now reported, derived from crystals of the second and third type I repeats of TSP-1 is of particular interest because of the specific functions attributed to these repeats and because domains homologous to the repeats appear in many other proteins in nature. The novel layered fold motif described brings great insight into how the complicated functions of TSP-1 and related molecules are affected.

scholarly journals Potential Phosphorylation of Viral Nonstructural Protein 1 in Dengue Virus Infection

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1393
Author(s):  
Thanyaporn Dechtawewat ◽  
Sittiruk Roytrakul ◽  
Yodying Yingchutrakul ◽  
Sawanya Charoenlappanit ◽  
Bunpote Siridechadilok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Nonstructural Protein ◽  
Antiviral Drug ◽  
Denv Infection ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Phosphorylation Sites ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Multifunctional Protein ◽  
Nonstructural Protein 1 ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Dengue virus (DENV) infection causes a spectrum of dengue diseases that have unclear underlying mechanisms. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a multifunctional protein of DENV that is involved in DENV infection and dengue pathogenesis. This study investigated the potential post-translational modification of DENV NS1 by phosphorylation following DENV infection. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 24 potential phosphorylation sites were identified in both cell-associated and extracellular NS1 proteins from three different cell lines infected with DENV. Cell-free kinase assays also demonstrated kinase activity in purified preparations of DENV NS1 proteins. Further studies were conducted to determine the roles of specific phosphorylation sites on NS1 proteins by site-directed mutagenesis with alanine substitution. The T27A and Y32A mutations had a deleterious effect on DENV infectivity. The T29A, T230A, and S233A mutations significantly decreased the production of infectious DENV but did not affect relative levels of intracellular DENV NS1 expression or NS1 secretion. Only the T230A mutation led to a significant reduction of detectable DENV NS1 dimers in virus-infected cells; however, none of the mutations interfered with DENV NS1 oligomeric formation. These findings highlight the importance of DENV NS1 phosphorylation that may pave the way for future target-specific antiviral drug design.

scholarly journals Color-tuning of natural variants of heliorhodopsin

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Se-Hwan Kim ◽  
Kimleng Chuon ◽  
Shin-Gyu Cho ◽  
Ahreum Choi ◽  
Seanghun Meas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Structure ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Type I ◽  
Transmembrane Helices ◽  
Color Tuning ◽  
Tuning Mechanism ◽  
Spectral Changes ◽  
His Tag ◽  
Natural Variants ◽  
Retinal Chromophore

AbstractMicrobial rhodopsins are distributed through many microorganisms. Heliorhodopsins are newly discovered but have an unclear function. They have seven transmembrane helices similar to type-I and type-II rhodopsins, but they are different in that the N-terminal region of heliorhodopsin is cytoplasmic. We chose 13 representative heliorhodopsins from various microorganisms, expressed and purified with an N-terminal His tag, and measured the absorption spectra. The 13 natural variants had an absorption maximum (λmax) in the range 530–556 nm similar to proteorhodopsin (λmax = 490–525 nm). We selected several candidate residues that influence rhodopsin color-tuning based on sequence alignment and constructed mutants via site-directed mutagenesis to confirm the spectral changes. We found two important residues located near retinal chromophore that influence λmax. We also predict the 3D structure via homology-modeling of Thermoplasmatales heliorhodopsin. The results indicate that the color-tuning mechanism of type-I rhodopsin can be applied to understand the color-tuning of heliorhodopsin.

scholarly journals Charged Residues Flanking the Transmembrane Domain of Two Related Toxin–Antitoxin System Toxins Affect Host Response

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Andrew Holmes ◽  
Jessie Sadlon ◽  
Keith Weaver
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Host Response ◽  
Cytoplasmic Membrane ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
The Other ◽  
Type I ◽  
Transcriptomic Response ◽  
Specific Amino Acid ◽  
Transporter Protein

A majority of toxins produced by type I toxin–antitoxin (TA-1) systems are small membrane-localized proteins that were initially proposed to kill cells by forming non-specific pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. The examination of the effects of numerous TA-1 systems indicates that this is not the mechanism of action of many of these proteins. Enterococcus faecalis produces two toxins of the Fst/Ldr family, one encoded on pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmids (FstpAD1) and the other on the chromosome, FstEF0409. Previous results demonstrated that overexpression of the toxins produced a differential transcriptomic response in E. faecalis cells. In this report, we identify the specific amino acid differences between the two toxins responsible for the differential response of a gene highly induced by FstpAD1 but not FstEF0409. In addition, we demonstrate that a transporter protein that is genetically linked to the chromosomal version of the TA-1 system functions to limit the toxicity of the protein.

scholarly journals Single amino acid changes in the mumps virus haemagglutinin–neuraminidase and polymerase proteins are associated with neuroattenuation

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 1741-1747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahir H. Malik ◽  
Candie Wolbert ◽  
Laura Nerret ◽  
Christian Sauder ◽  
Steven Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Clinical Isolate ◽  
Amino Acid Change ◽  
Mumps Virus ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
L Protein ◽  
Single Amino Acid Change

It has previously been shown that three amino acid changes, one each in the fusion (F; Ala/Thr-91→Thr), haemagglutinin–neuraminidase (HN; Ser-466→Asn) and polymerase (L; Ile-736→Val) proteins, are associated with attenuation of a neurovirulent clinical isolate of mumps virus (88-1961) following serial passage in vitro. Here, using full-length cDNA plasmid clones and site-directed mutagenesis, it was shown that the single amino acid change in the HN protein and to a lesser extent, the change in the L protein, resulted in neuroattenuation, as assessed in rats. The combination of both amino acid changes caused neuroattenuation of the virus to levels previously reported for the clinical isolate following attenuation in vitro. The amino acid change in the F protein, despite having a dramatic effect on protein function in vitro, was previously shown to not be involved in the observed neuroattenuation, highlighting the importance of conducting confirmatory in vivo studies. This report provides additional supporting evidence for the role of the HN protein as a virulence factor and, as far as is known, is the first report to associate an amino acid change in the L protein with mumps virus neuroattenuation.

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