This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Walker, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by Lipkin, W. I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Walker, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by Lipkin, W. I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Virology, August 2002, p. 8460-8467, Vol. 76, No. 16
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.16.8460-8467.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of the Nuclear Localization Signal of the Borna Disease Virus Polymerase

Michelle Portlance Walker,{dagger} and W. Ian Lipkin*

Emerging Diseases Laboratory, Departments of Neurology, Anatomy, and Neurobiology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California—Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-4292

Received 21 December 2001/ Accepted 30 April 2002

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus that replicates and transcribes its genome in the nucleus of infected cells. BDV proteins involved in replication and transcription must pass through the nuclear envelope to associate with the genomic viral RNA. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) of BDV is postulated to be the catalytic enzyme of replication and transcription. We demonstrated previously that BDV L localizes to the nucleus of BDV-infected cells and L-transfected cells. Nuclear localization of the protein presupposes the presence of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) within its primary amino acid sequence or cotransport to the nucleus with another karyophilic protein. Because L localized to the nucleus in the absence of other viral proteins, we investigated the possibility that L contains an NLS. The minimal sequence required for nuclear localization of L was identified by analyzing the subcellular distribution of deletion mutants of L fused to a flag epitope tag or ß-galactosidase. Although the majority of the L fusion proteins localized to the cytoplasm of transfected BSR-T7 cells, a strong NLS (844RVVKLRIAP852) with basic and proline residues was identified. Mutation of this sequence resulted in cytoplasmic distribution of L, confirming that this sequence was necessary and sufficient to drive the nuclear localization of L.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Immunopathogenesis and Infectious Diseases, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th St., New York, NY 10032. Phone: (212) 305-0695. Fax: (212) 305-9413. E-mail: wil{at}columbia.edu.

{dagger} Drug Discovery, Ribapharm, Inc., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

Journal of Virology, August 2002, p. 8460-8467, Vol. 76, No. 16
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.16.8460-8467.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Yanai, H., Kobayashi, T., Hayashi, Y., Watanabe, Y., Ohtaki, N., Zhang, G., de la Torre, J. C., Ikuta, K., Tomonaga, K. (2006). A Methionine-Rich Domain Mediates CRM1-Dependent Nuclear Export Activity of Borna Disease Virus Phosphoprotein. J. Virol. 80: 1121-1129 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schneider, U., Naegele, M., Staeheli, P., Schwemmle, M. (2003). Active Borna Disease Virus Polymerase Complex Requires a Distinct Nucleoprotein-to-Phosphoprotein Ratio but No Viral X Protein. J. Virol. 77: 11781-11789 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kobayashi, T., Zhang, G., Lee, B.-J., Baba, S., Yamashita, M., Kamitani, W., Yanai, H., Tomonaga, K., Ikuta, K. (2003). Modulation of Borna Disease Virus Phosphoprotein Nuclear Localization by the Viral Protein X Encoded in the Overlapping Open Reading Frame. J. Virol. 77: 8099-8107 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»