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Journal of Virology, November 2005, p. 13209-13217, Vol. 79, No. 21
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.79.21.13209-13217.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland,1 Department of Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, School of Veterinary Medicine, College Station, Texas2
Received 15 June 2005/ Accepted 2 August 2005
Coronavirus spike (S) proteins are responsible for binding and fusion with target cells and thus play an essential role in virus infection. Recently, we identified a dilysine endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrieval signal and a tyrosine-based endocytosis signal in the cytoplasmic tail of the S protein of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Here, an infectious cDNA clone of IBV was used to address the importance of the S protein trafficking signals to virus infection. We constructed infectious cDNA clones lacking the ER retrieval signal, the endocytosis signal, or both. The virus lacking the ER retrieval signal was viable. However, this virus had a growth defect at late times postinfection and produced larger plaques than IBV. Further analysis confirmed that the mutant S protein trafficked though the secretory pathway faster than wild-type S protein. A more dramatic phenotype was obtained when the endocytosis signal was mutated. Recombinant viruses lacking the endocytosis signal (in combination with a mutated dilysine signal or alone) could not be recovered, even though transient syncytia were formed in transfected cells. Our results suggest that the endocytosis signal of IBV S is essential for productive virus infection.
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