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Journal of Virology, December 2002, p. 12866-12876, Vol. 76, No. 24
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.24.12866-12876.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461
Received 13 May 2002/ Accepted 13 September 2002
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Viral endocytosis is required in some instances for reasons other than pH dependence (40). For example, forced fusion of SFV with the plasma membrane by acid treatment renders a productive infection in baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells but not in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. This indicates the presence of a postentry barrier in CHO cells that is overcome by endocytosis of virus particles (36). Similarly, the entry mechanism of ecotropic murine leukemia virus (e-MLV) is cell type specific. e-MLV fuses directly at the cell surface in rat XC sarcoma cells but requires endocytosis in NIH 3T3 cells (29). In addition, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) macropinocytosis plays an important role in macrophage infection, demonstrating the use of an endocytic pathway of a pH-independent virus (34). This indicates that the endocytic pathway might overcome cell-specific restrictions in viral entry for reasons other than pH dependence.
In the present study, we have examined the mechanism of retroviral entry by using subgroup B avian leukosis virus (ALV-B) as a model system. ALV is divided into seven major subgroups based on receptor usage (subgroups A through F and J). Subgroup specificity of ALV is determined by the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env). Env-receptor interactions play a critical role in the entry of ALV and are thought to trigger conformational changes that drive virus-cell fusion (1, 7, 11, 17, 34). Entry of ALV-B into target cells is mediated by the primary binding receptor, TVBS3, which belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (11). TVBS3 contains three extracellular cysteine-rich domains, a single transmembrane region, and a cytoplasmic "death domain." Activation of TVBS3 is able to trigger apoptotic pathways as well as an NF-
B protective pathway (10, 13). Determinants for cell killing have been mapped to the receptor-binding domain of ALV-B Env (17). However, direct involvement of TVBS3 in cytopathic effects remains to be shown. Two homologues of TVBS3 have been identified, TVBS1 and TVBT. TVBS1 mediates entry of ALV subgroups B, D, and E, while the turkey homologue, TVBT, confers susceptibility to ALV-E only (1, 2).
The determinants for ALV-B entry have been mapped to a 15-amino-acid peptide (TVB32-46) in the N-terminal region of TVBS3. This peptide functions as a binding receptor and mediates ALV-B entry into TVBS3-negative cells (30). The mechanism of ALV entry is controversial, and there is evidence for and against a low-pH requirement for viral fusion. Gilbert and colleagues demonstrated that lysosomotropic agents, which neutralize endocytic compartments, do not inhibit ALV-A and ALV-C entry by using the infectivity and fluorescence fusion-dequenching assays (23). Hernandez and colleagues demonstrated that ALV-A Env interaction with liposomes is pH independent by using a liposome-binding assay (27). In contrast, Mothes and colleagues demonstrated that entry of ALV-A and ALV-B is blocked by lysosomotropic agents by using a PCR-based assay to monitor viral entry (42). The studies of Mothes and colleagues suggested a role of endocytosis in ALV entry that has not been directly addressed.
To further evaluate the mechanism of ALV entry, we generated HIV-1 virus particles pseudotyped with the envelope protein of ALV-B. We found that three different lysosomotropic agents were able to block the entry of pseudotyped and wild-type ALV-B. Viral uptake kinetics showed that ALV-B internalization was comparable to SFV uptake, which requires endocytosis. Immunofluorescence and ultrastructural analysis of chicken embryo fibroblasts infected with ALV-B identified virus particles in clathrin-coated vesicles and endosome-like structures. We also demonstrated the inability of ALV-B to fuse at the cell surface when provided with a low external pH, which, in contrast, forces the fusion of SFV with the cell surface. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that endocytosis is required for successful ALV-B entry.
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Pseudotyped virus production. A total of 3 x 106 293T cells seeded on 100-mm-diameter tissue culture plates was cotransfected with 5 µg of NLluc+env- and 15 µg of envelope-expressing plasmids by following the calcium phosphate procedure described previously (14). Pseudotyped particles were collected and stored at -80°C 48 h after transfection. Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), SFV, and amphotropic murine leukemia virus (a-MLV) envelope-expressing plasmids were obtained from Tanya Dragic (31, 45). p24 levels of pseudotyped viruses were measured by using the HIV-1 p24 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (NEN, Boston, Mass.).
Viral entry and luciferase assay. Pseudotyped viruses were prebound to 105 cells on 24-well tissue culture plates at 4°C for 1 h. Supernatant was removed, and fresh medium with or without lysosomotropic agents was incubated at 37°C for 4 h. Subsequently, medium was replaced with complete DMEM and cellular extracts were prepared 48 h after infection to assay luciferase activity. Extracts were made with 250 µl of luciferase lysis buffer (Promega, Madison, Wis.), and after one freeze-thaw cycle, samples were centrifuged at 12,000 x g for 5 min. Ninety microliters of the supernatant was mixed with 30 µl of luciferase substrate (Promega) and incubated for 3 min at room temperature. Luciferase activity was measured with a luminometer (PerkinElmer Wallac Inc., Boston, Mass.).
Lysosomotropic agents and inhibitors. Ammonium chloride, chloroquine, bafilomycin A1, and chlorpromazine were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, Mo.). The following concentrations were used in the inhibition experiments: 50 mM ammonium chloride, 100 µg of chloroquine/ml, 50 nM bafilomycin A1, and 50 µM chlorpromazine. None of these concentrations affected the pH of the cell culture medium.
Immunoblotting. Cell lines were grown on 100-mm-diameter tissue culture plates to a confluency of 90%. Extracts were prepared with a homogenization buffer (10 mM Tris [pH 7.5], 10 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA) containing a cocktail of protease inhibitors (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.). Cells were homogenized in a Dounce-fitted homogenizer and centrifuged at 2,500 x g to obtain postnuclear supernatants. Protein concentration was determined using a bicinchoninic acid protein assay reagent kit (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.). Ten micrograms of protein was applied to a 10% polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel under reducing conditions and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. The membranes were probed with soluble ALV-B Env fusion proteins (SUB-immunoglobulin G [11]) to detect TVBS3 and subsequently incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit immunoglobulin (Amersham, Piscataway, N.J.). The TVBS3 signal was detected by using an enhanced chemiluminescence kit (Amersham).
Immunofluorescence of pseudotyped viruses and human transferrin internalization. Cells grown overnight on 12-mm-diameter coverslips were incubated with pseudotyped virus particles and human transferrin-Alexa 488 (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.) at a concentration of 50 µg/ml at 4°C for 1 h. Infection and transferrin uptake were initiated by incubating cells at 37°C for 1 h. Samples were fixed in 3.9% paraformaldehyde (Sigma) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; Cellgro) for 30 min. Cells were washed in PBS and incubated in 0.1 M glycine (Sigma) for 10 min, followed by washing in PBS and permeabilization with 0.05% saponin (Sigma) for 30 min. Samples were blocked with 10% donkey serum (Dako, Carpinteria, Calif.) for 30 min, incubated with anti-p24 antibody AG3.0 (National Institutes of Health AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program) for 1 h, washed with PBS, and incubated with anti-mouse Cy3-labeled antibody (Jackson Immunoresearch, West Grove, Pa.) for 45 min. Samples were mounted for fluorescence microscopy by using the ProLong antifade kit (Molecular Probes).
Forced fusion at the cell surface. Pseudotyped viruses were prebound to 105 cells. Cells were incubated with DMEM, pH 7.3 (complete medium without sodium bicarbonate and with 20 mM HEPES, adjusted to pH 7.3), or DMEM, pH 5.3 (complete medium without sodium bicarbonate and with 10 mM MES [morpholineethanesulfonic acid], adjusted to pH 5.3), at 37°C for 2 min. Subsequently, cells were incubated in complete DMEM in the presence or absence of 50 mM ammonium chloride for 4 h. Fresh medium was added to the cells, and the luciferase activity of cellular extracts was measured 48 h postinfection.
Electron microscopy analysis. DF-1 cells were grown to confluency and incubated with 2 ml of ALV-B (108 infectious units/ml) at 4°C for 1 h. Cells were incubated at 37°C for 1 h to allow infection. Samples were fixed with 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer, postfixed with 1% osmium tetroxide followed by 1% uranyl acetate, dehydrated through a graded series of ethanol washes, and embedded in LX112 resin (LADD Research Industries, Burlington, Vt.). Ultrathin sections were cut on a Reichert Ultracut E apparatus, stained with uranyl acetate followed by lead citrate, and viewed on a JEOL 1200EX transmission electron microscope at 80 kV.
Exhaustive photon reassignment deconvolution and 3-D recontruction. Z sections were acquired by using an Olympus (Melville, N.Y.) AX70 wide-field fluorescense microscope with a CH-350 15-bit, cooled charge-coupled camera with a PlanApo 60x, 1.4 NA objective (Olympus). Iplab software (Scanalytics, Fairfax, Va.) was used to prepare images for iterative deconvolution. A tridimensional (3-D) data set composed of 30 images separated by 200 nm in the axial direction was deconvolved with an acquired point spread function (PSF) by using exhaustive photon reassignment (Scanalytics). The 3-D recontruction of deconvolved images was performed by using IMARIS version 3.0 software (Bitplane AG, Zurich, Switzerland) generously provided by Robert H. Singer. The PSF data set was made by acquiring 60 images, each separated by 200 nm, in the axial direction of a fluorescent microsphere that was 200 nm in diameter (Molecular Probes).
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FIG. 1. Entry assay of an HIV-1-based vector pseudotyped with the envelope protein of ALV-B. (A) Astrocytoma cells (U-251) and HEK 293 cells were stably transfected with TVBS3-expressing vector. Extracts from chicken embryonic fibroblasts (DF-1) and human cell lines transfected with or without TVBS3 were prepared, and 10 µg of protein was analyzed by Western blot analysis to detect TVBS3 expression. (B) HIV-1 vector (NLluc+env-) was pseudotyped with the envelope protein of ALV-B. Parental and HEK 293-TVBS3 cells were infected for 3 h with pseudotyped ALV-B viruses (10 ng of p24). Supernatant was removed and replaced with fresh medium, and luciferase activity was measured 48 h postinfection. (C) Parental and U-251-TVBS3 were infected with pseudotyped ALV-B (10 ng of p24) as described above for panel B. Experiments were performed in triplicates, and standard deviations are indicated for panels B and C.
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Lysosomotropic agents block the entry of ALV-B. To evaluate the requirement of a low-pH compartment in ALV-B entry, we used lysosomotropic agents that block the acidification of endocytic vesicles (49). As positive controls for pH-dependent viruses, we used HIV-1 vectors pseudotyped with the envelope protein of SFV. As controls for pH-independent viruses, we used HIV-1 viruses pseudotyped with the envelope protein of a-MLV and HTLV-1 (3, 41). The amount of virus used in the infection experiments was standardized by the amount of p24 (Table 1).
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TABLE 1. Luciferase activity and p24 levels of HIV-1-vector-pseudotyped particles with different envelope proteins
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FIG. 2. Entry of wild-type and pseudotyped ALV-B is inhibited by lysosomotropic agents. HEK 293-TVBS3 cells were incubated with pseudotyped ALV-B, SFV, a-MLV, or HTLV-1 for 4 h in the presence or absence of 50 mM NH4Cl (A), 100 µg of chloroquine/ml (B), or 50 nM bafilomycin A1 (C). Cells were challenged with pseudotyped ALV-B, SFV, a-MLV, and HTLV-1 with similar amounts of p24.Luciferase activity was measured from cellular extracts 48 h postinfection. (D) HEK 293-TVBS3 cells were incubated with wild-type ALV-B that expresses GFP (MOI of 10) in the presence or absence of 50 mM NH4Cl, 100 µg of chloroquine/ml, or 50 nM of bafilomycin A1 for 4 h. Infection was determined by flow cytometry analysis by counting GFP-positive cells 72 h postinfection. Experiments were performed in triplicate, and standard deviations are indicated.
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FIG. 3. Entry kinetics of pseudotyped ALV-B. Pseudotyped ALV-B (10 ng of p24) was prebound to HEK 293-TVBS3 (A) or U-251-TVBS3 (B) cells at 4°C for 1 h. Infection was initiated by shifting the temperature to 37°C. At the indicated time point, cells were incubated for 2 to 3 h with 50 mM NH4Cl to stop viral entry. Subsequently, supernatants were replaced with fresh medium and luciferase activity was determined 48 h postinfection. Pseudotyped SFV was prebound to HEK 293-TVBS3 cells, and entry kinetics were determined as described above (C). Experiments were performed in triplicate, and standard deviations are shown.
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FIG. 4. Pseudotyped ALV-B particles colocalize with an endosomal marker. (A) Pseudotyped ALV-B particles (10 ng of p24) were prebound to U-251-TVBS3-3 cells, and infection was started by shifting cells to 37°C. Cells were processed for immunofluorescence, stained using the anti-p24 antibodies, and developed with a Cy3-labeled antibody (arrows). (B) Pseudotyped ALV-B and human transferrin-Alexa 488 (green) were prebound to U-251-TVBS3-3 cells at 4°C for 1 h. Viral infection and transferrin uptake were initiated by shifting the temperature to 37°C. After 30 min, cells were processed for immunofluorescence with an anti-p24 antibody and developed with a Cy3-labeled antibody (red). Z sections were obtained in both filters (Alexa 488 and Cy3) of a wide-field fluorescence microscope. Images were deconvolved as described in Materials and Methods. The 3-D projection of an infected cell (30 sections) was done in Imaris version 3.0, showing pseudotyped ALV-B particles (red), endosomes (green), and colocalization (yellow). (C) Individual Z sections are shown, and the distance from the cell surface is indicated in micrometers.
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Ultrastructural analysis of ALV-B in chicken embryonyic fibroblasts. To further address the subcellular localization of ALV-B, electron microscopic studies were performed with the wild-type virus. Chicken embryonic fibroblasts were challenged with ALV-B at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100 and processed for electron transmission microscopy. ALV-B particles were observed at the cell surface of fibroblasts with an average size of 100 nm (Fig. 5A and B). Virus particles were also observed in 200-nm vesicles with the characteristic morphology of clathrin-coated vesicles (Fig. 5B and C). We also observed virus particles in non-clathrin-coated cellular vesicles, which are several times bigger than virus particles (Fig. 5E). In addition, some virus particles appeared to be in the process of fusing with the vesicular membrane (Fig. 5F). Taken together, these data demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of ALV particles in endocytic and clathrin-coated vesicles.
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FIG. 5. Wild-type ALV-B is in clathrin-coated vesicles and endosome-like structures. Wild-type ALV-B viruses were prebound to DF-1 cells at 4°C for 1 h. Infection was initiated by shifting the temperature to 37°C. Thirty minutes after infection was initiated, samples were processed for ultrastructural analysis. Virus particles were observed (arrows) at a magnification of x12,000 at the surface of DF-1 cells (A and B), in clathrin-coated vesicles (C and D), and in vesicles (E) while fusing to the vesicle membrane (F).
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FIG. 6. Entry of pseudotyped ALV-B is inhibited by chlorpromazine. HEK 293-TVB S3 cells were incubated with pseudotyped ALV-B, SFV, or a-MLV for 3 h in the presence or absence of 50 µM chlorpromazine. Cells were challenged with pseudotyped ALV-B, SFV, or a-MLV by using similar amounts of p24. Luciferase activity was measured from cellular extracts 48 h postinfection. Experiments were performed in triplicate, and standard deviations are shown.
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FIG.7. Wild-type and pseudotyped ALV-B were unable to fuse at the cell surface upon low-pH treatment. Pseudotyped SFV (10 ng of p24) (A), pseudotyped ALV-B (10 ng of p24) (B), and wild-type ALV-B (MOI = 10) (C) were prebound to HEK 293-TVBS3 cells at 4°C for 1 h. Cells were treated with a medium, pH 5.3 or 7.0, for 2 min at 37°C. Subsequently, cells were incubated in fresh medium for 4 h in the presence or absence of 50 mM NH4Cl. Supernatants were replaced with fresh medium, and luciferase activity was measured 48 h postinfection (A and B). Flow cytometry analysis for GFP-positive cells was used to determine infection by wild-type ALV-B (C). Pseudotyped ALV-B (10 ng of p24) was prebound to HEK 293-TVBS3 cells at 4°C for 1 h. Cells were treated with a medium, pH 5.3, containing or lacking 50 mM NH4Cl for 5, 15, or 30 min at 37°C. Subsequently, cells were incubated with medium containing 50 mM NH4Cl for 4 h. Cells were grown in fresh medium, and extracts were prepared 48 h postinfection to measure luciferase activity (D). Experiments were performed in triplicate, and standard deviations are shown.
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Human 293 and astrocytoma cells are nonsusceptible to ALV-B infections. We demonstrated that expression of the ALV-B receptor TVBS3 renders these cell lines highly permissive to ALV-B infections.
pH-dependent viruses require endocytosis to reach acidic cellular compartments in order to mediate viral fusion with cellular membranes. We demonstrated that three independent lysosomotropic agents are able to block ALV-B entry, supporting the theory that ALV-B entry is pH dependent (42). As expected, these inhibitors were able to block entry by pH-dependent SFV but not by pH-independent a-MLV or HTLV-1 (3, 41). Surprisingly, the use of these lysosomotropic drugs enhanced a-MLV infection, suggesting that inhibition of degradation pathways by lysosomotropic agents increases the apparent titer of this virus. It is therefore possible that pH-independent viruses also use endocytic pathways to enter cells, as has been observed with HIV-1 (34). Our data suggest that endocytosis allows ALV-B to reach acidic compartments where viral fusion occurs.
Pseudotyped virus particles can acquire different proteins and lipids from the host producer cell that might affect the viral fusion properties of the virus, as shown for HIV-1 (24, 28, 43). However, we have observed that HIV particles pseudotyped with the envelope protein of SFV, a-MLV, or HTLV-1 preserve their corresponding fusion phenotype in our entry assay. Furthermore, we have shown that wild-type and pseudotyped ALV-B do not differ in their susceptibility to lysosomotropic agents.
Viruses that fuse at the cell surface are expected to enter cells with different kinetics than viruses that require endocytosis. Analysis of ALV-B entry kinetics with ammonium chloride to block fusion showed that ALV-B and SFV require 45 and 35 min, respectively, to reach the fusion compartment and fuse. In contrast, pH-independent viruses that have been described to fuse at the cellular surface, such as HIV-1, require only 10 min for half-maximal internalization of virus particles (46). Our data suggest that ALV-B entry is a relatively slow process and may involve endocytosis.
Furthermore, we established an immunofluorescence assay that allows for the visualization of virus particles by using an antibody against p24, a structural HIV-1 core protein. Antibodies against p24 have been previously used to visualize HIV-1 particles in cells (20, 33, 34). Colocalization of pseudotyped ALV-B particles with transferrin, a marker for endocytic compartments, indicates the presence of virus particles in endosomes, which has also been shown biochemically for SFV (35). A fraction of the intracellular pseudotyped viruses did not colocalize with endosomes, suggesting that these particles represent cytoplasmic postfusion viral cores. A 3-D reconstruction, using immunofluorescence, showed that virus particles were in separate section planes, indicating the intracellular localization of these particles.
Additional support for the presence of ALV-B in endocytic compartments came from ulltrastructural analysis. Electron microscopy analysis of chicken embryonic fibroblasts infected with ALV-B showed virus particles on the cellular surface, in clathrin-coated pits, and in endosomes. We challenged cells at low MOIs to study ALV-B entry under more physiological conditions (in the case of SFV, an MOI of 105 was used [25, 38]). In contrast, infections at high MOIs could promote viral uptake through alternative internalization pathways. While it is impossible to distinguish between replication-competent and replication-deficient viruses by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy, these studies further support the notion that ALV-B uses endocytic pathways to enter cells. In addition, we were able to block pseudotype ALV-B entry with chlorpromazine, a drug that specifically disrupts clathrin-mediated endocytosis (51). Interestingly, this drug was also able to block SFV entry, which has been shown through different lines of experimental evidence to be clathrin dependent (16, 25, 26).
The fusion of some enveloped pH-dependent viruses, such as vesicular stomatitis virus and SFV, can be forced at the cellular surface by a low external pH. We observed that pseudotyped SFV was able to fuse at the cell surface by a low-pH treatment, which leads to a productive infection. Surprisingly, wild-type and pseudotyped ALV-B were unable to fuse at the cellular surface at low pH, even though ALV-B, like SFV, is a pH-dependent virus. This result supports previous data shown by Mothes and colleagues (42), where a low-pH step is unable to overcome the lysosomotropic inhibition of ALV entry. However, Mothes and colleagues were able to overcome this inhibition when the low-pH treatment was preceded by an endocytosis step of 15 min at a neutral pH. These results suggest that ALV-B is unable to fuse at the cellular surface even under low-pH conditions. Therefore, it seems that there are factors in addition to Env-receptor interactions and to the appropriate pH that determine the ability of ALV-B to fuse with the cellular membrane. For example, entry by e-MLV requires the involvement of a cellular protease to activate the fusion process (4-6). The cellular localization of these potential factors might determine the mechanism by which specific viruses enter cells.
The inability of ALV-B to fuse at the cell surface is unexpected because ALV-B-infected cells are able to form syncytia with TVBS3-expressing cells at a low pH (42). However, the capacity of some viruses, such as HIV-1 and a-MLV, to form syncytia is virus strain and cell type specific (41). Therefore, parameters and conditions that drive syncytium formation appear to be distinct from those that are required for viral fusion with cellular membranes (15, 56).
Taken together, our data suggest that endocytosis is essential for ALV-B entry and supports the growing idea that endocytosis plays an important role in retroviral entry. Future studies will determine the specific endocytosis pathways involved in ALV entry.
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B-dependent survival pathway protects against cell death induced by TVB receptors for avian leukosis viruses. J. Virol. 76:5581-5587.
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