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Journal of Virology, February 2002, p. 1632-1641, Vol. 76, No. 4
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.4.1632-1641.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
and Terence S. Dermody*
Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology and Immunology and Elizabeth B. Lamb Center for Pediatric Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
Received 19 June 2001/ Accepted 19 November 2001
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1 to both sialic acid and junction adhesion molecule is required for induction of apoptosis. However, it is not known whether viral engagement of receptors is sufficient to elicit this cellular response. To determine whether steps in reovirus replication subsequent to viral attachment are required for reovirus-induced apoptosis, we used inhibitors of viral disassembly and RNA synthesis, viral disassembly intermediates, temperature-sensitive (ts) reovirus mutants, and reovirus particles deficient in genomic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We found that reovirus-induced apoptosis is abolished in the presence of the viral disassembly inhibitors ammonium chloride and E64. Infectious subvirion particles (ISVPs), which are intermediates in reovirus disassembly that can be generated in vitro by protease treatment, are capable of inducing apoptosis in the presence or absence of these inhibitors. Treatment of cells with the viral RNA synthesis inhibitor ribavirin does not diminish the capacity of reovirus to induce apoptosis, and reovirus ts mutants arrested at defined steps in viral replication produce apoptosis with efficiency similar to that of wild-type virus. Furthermore, reovirus particles lacking dsRNA are capable of inducing apoptosis. Finally, we found that viral attachment and disassembly must occur within the same cellular compartment for reovirus to elicit an apoptotic response. These results demonstrate that disassembly of reovirus virions to form ISVPs, but not viral transcription or subsequent steps in viral replication, is required for reovirus to induce apoptosis. |
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In studies to identify reovirus genes that segregate with strain-specific differences in the capacity to induce apoptosis, the S1 gene, which encodes viral attachment protein
1 (31, 51), was identified as the primary genetic determinant of the magnitude of the apoptotic response (11, 41, 48). Subsequent studies revealed that the efficiency with which reovirus strains elicit apoptosis is determined by the capacity to bind different types of cell surface receptors (5, 11). Reovirus strains T3SA- and T3SA+ differ genetically by a single point mutation and phenotypically by the capacity to bind sialic acid (4). Sialic acid-binding strain T3SA+ is a significantly more efficient inducer of apoptosis than is non-sialic acid-binding strain T3SA- in both HeLa cells and L cells. Enzymatic removal of cell surface sialic acid with neuraminidase or competitive blockade of virus binding to cell surface sialic acid with sialyllactose abolishes the capacity of T3SA+ to induce apoptosis (11). Incubation of cells with antibody specific for junction adhesion molecule (JAM), a recently identified reovirus receptor (5), also blocks apoptosis induced by sialic acid-binding reovirus (5). These findings demonstrate that reovirus strains capable of binding both sialic acid and JAM induce maximal levels of apoptosis.
Although receptor binding is a critical determinant of the apoptotic response, there are two lines of evidence to suggest that aspects of the reovirus replication cycle subsequent to viral attachment potentiate signals that trigger apoptosis. First, reovirus infection leads to activation of the transcription factor NF-
B, which is required for reovirus-induced apoptosis (12). In HeLa cells, activation of NF-
B is first detectable approximately 4 h after infection and peaks 8 to 10 h after infection (12). However, activation of NF-
B as a direct result of receptor-ligand interactions typically occurs with more rapid kinetics (47). The delay in NF-
B activation raises the possibility that steps following viral attachment are required to activate NF-
B and elicit apoptosis. Second, in addition to the important role of the S1 gene in determining the magnitude of the apoptotic response, the M2 gene also contributes to the efficiency of apoptosis induction (41, 48). The M2 gene encodes µ1/µ1C, a viral outer capsid protein that plays an important role in reovirus entry into cells (25, 33, 35). Following viral attachment and receptor-mediated endocytosis, reovirus virions are proteolytically disassembled to form infectious subvirion particles (ISVPs), a process characterized by removal of outer capsid protein
3, proteolytic cleavage of µ1/µ1C to form particle-associated fragments
and
, and conformational changes in
1 (18, 44). ISVPs are capable of penetrating endosomal membranes, an event that is likely mediated by µ1/µ1C (25, 33, 35). The influence of the M2 gene on the efficiency of reovirus-induced apoptosis suggests that events during viral entry, subsequent to virus engagement of cellular receptors, are required for apoptosis.
To determine whether steps following reovirus binding to cellular receptors are required to elicit apoptosis, we utilized inhibitors of viral disassembly and RNA synthesis, viral disassembly intermediates, temperature-sensitive (ts) reovirus mutants with defined blocks in viral replication, and reovirus particles lacking genomic dsRNA. We found that steps in virion disassembly, but not steps in viral replication subsequent to membrane penetration, are required to induce apoptosis following reovirus infection. Furthermore, our findings indicate that receptor binding and disassembly must occur within the same cellular compartment to elicit an apoptotic response.
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Generation of ISVPs.
Reovirus virion or top-component particles (2 x 1011) were digested in 100 µl of virion storage buffer containing 0.2 mg of chymotrypsin (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.) per ml at 37°C for 90 min. Reactions were stopped by adding 2 µl of 100 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and cooling to 4°C. Digested particles were electrophoresed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-10% polyacrylamide gels and stained with Coomassie blue to confirm removal of
3 protein and digestion of µ1/µ1C to form
(34).
Treatment with ammonium chloride (AC), E64, or ribavirin.
HeLa cells (5 x 104) grown in 24-well tissue culture plates (Costar, Cambridge, Mass.) were either treated with 10 ng of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
; Sigma-Aldrich) per ml or infected with reovirus virions or ISVPs at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100 or 1,000 PFU per cell. After addition of TNF-
or viral adsorption at 4°C for 1 h, cells were incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, N.J.), 200 µM E64 (Sigma-Aldrich), or 25 to 200 µM ribavirin (Sigma-Aldrich) at 37°C for various intervals. Cells were then processed for viral growth (50), apoptosis, immunoprecipitation, or electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs). For experiments using E64, cells were incubated with 200 µM E64 for 4 h prior to the addition of TNF-
or viral adsorption.
Quantitation of apoptosis by acridine orange staining. Cells (5 x 104) grown in 24-well tissue culture plates were infected with reovirus virions or ISVPs at various MOIs. The percentage of apoptotic cells was determined using acridine orange staining as previously described (48). For each experiment, 200 to 300 cells were counted, and the percentage of cells exhibiting condensed chromatin was determined by epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy using a fluorescein filter set (Zeiss Photomicroscope III; Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany).
Yields of reovirus ts mutants. HeLa cells (5 x 104) grown in 24-well tissue culture plates were infected with reovirus ts mutants at an MOI of 10 PFU per cell and incubated at either 32 or 39°C. Viral titers were determined 0 and 48 h after infection by plaque assay using L-cell monolayers (50) incubated at 32°C. Viral yields were determined by dividing viral titer at 48 h by viral titer at 0 h. Efficiency of yield (EOY) was calculated by dividing viral yield at 39°C by viral yield at 32°C.
Immunoblotting for PARP cleavage. Cells (5 x 106) grown in 75-cm2 tissue culture flasks (Costar) were infected with reovirus ts mutants at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell. After viral adsorption for 1 h, cells were incubated at 32 or 39°C for 24 h. Nuclear extracts were prepared as previously described (12). Extracts (50 µg of total protein) were electrophoresed in SDS-7% polyacrylamide gels (30) and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Immunoblotting was performed as previously described (42) using poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-specific primary antibody (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Indianapolis, Ind.) followed by horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, N.J.), each diluted 1:2,000 in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.05% Tween 20 and 5% low-fat dry milk.
Immunoprecipitation of viral proteins from ribavirin-treated cells. Cells (2 x 106) grown in 25-cm2 tissue culture flasks (Costar) were infected with reovirus at an MOI of 1,000 PFU per cell. After viral adsorption for 1 h, the inoculum was removed, and cell culture medium containing various concentrations of ribavirin and 100 µCi of [35S]methionine-cysteine (DuPont NEN Research Products, Boston, Mass.) per ml was added. Cells were incubated at 37°C for 24 h, and reovirus proteins were captured by immunoprecipitation using a rabbit polyclonal antiserum raised against reovirus strain type 1 Lang (T1L) as previously described (11). Immunoprecipitated viral protein was subjected to electrophoresis in SDS-10% polyacrylamide gels. Gels were dried under vacuum and exposed to Biomax MR film (Kodak, Rochester, N.Y.) or a phosphorimaging plate (Fuji, Edison, N.J.). Total immunoprecipitated viral protein was quantitated with a phosphorimager (Fuji BAS2000).
EMSAs.
Cells (5 x 106) grown in 75-cm2 tissue culture flasks were infected with reovirus at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and either untreated or treated with 10 mM AC, 200 µM E64, or 200 µM ribavirin. After incubation at 37°C for 10 h, nuclear extracts were prepared as previously described (12). Nuclear extracts (10 µg of total protein) were assayed for NF-
B activation by EMSA using a 32P-labeled oligonucleotide consisting of the NF-
B consensus binding sequence (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, Calif.) as previously described (12).
HA assay. Purified dsRNA+ and dsRNA- virions and ISVPs were aliquoted into 96-well U-bottomed microtiter plates (Costar) and serially diluted twofold in 50 µl of phosphate-buffered saline. Calf erythrocytes (Colorado Serum Co., Denver, Colo.) were washed twice in phosphate-buffered saline and resuspended at a concentration of 1% (vol/vol). Erythrocytes (50 µl) were added to wells containing viral particles and incubated at 4°C for 2.5 h. A partial or complete shield of erythrocytes on the well bottom was interpreted as a positive hemagglutination (HA) result; a smooth, round button of erythrocytes was interpreted as negative. The minimum number of viral particles sufficient to produce HA was designated to equal 1 HA unit.
Coinfection of T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions. HeLa cells (5 x 104) grown in 24-well plates were mock infected, infected with T3SA- ISVPs or T3SA+ virions at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell, or infected with both T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions, each at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell. Coinfections were either simultaneous or offset by 4 h. Cells were incubated at 37°C for 48 h and processed for acridine orange staining.
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induced equivalent levels of apoptosis in the absence or presence of AC or E64 (Fig. 1C), indicating that these inhibitors do not inhibit the activity of cellular proteins, including cysteine-containing proteases, required for apoptotic cell death. These results demonstrate that treatment of cells with either AC or E64 blocks reovirus-induced apoptosis, which suggests that virion disassembly is required for induction of apoptosis following reovirus infection.
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FIG. 1. (A) Growth of T3SA+ in cells treated with either AC or E64. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were infected with T3SA+ at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC or 200 µM E64. Viral titers were determined 0 and 48 h after infection, and viral yields were calculated by dividing viral titer at 48 h by viral titer at 0 h. (B and C) Apoptosis induced by T3SA+ (B) or TNF- (C) in cells treated with either AC or E64. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were mock infected, infected with T3SA+ at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell, or treated with 10 ng of TNF- per ml and incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC or 200 µM E64. After incubation for 48 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean viral yield (A) or mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis (B and C) for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means.
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3 from virions, could potentiate the apoptotic response. To distinguish between these possibilities, we tested the capacity of ISVPs generated in vitro by chymotrypsin treatment of virions to induce apoptosis. HeLa cells were either mock infected or infected with T3SA+ virions or ISVPs at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell, and apoptosis was assessed by acridine orange staining 48 h after infection (Fig. 2). T3SA+ virions induced 53% of cells to undergo apoptosis, while infection with T3SA+ ISVPs led to apoptosis of 68% of cells. Therefore, ISVPs are capable of inducing apoptosis when either generated within endosomes or adsorbed to the cell surface, suggesting that disassembly need not occur in cyto for apoptosis induction.
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FIG. 2. Apoptosis induced by T3SA+ ISVPs. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were either mock infected or infected with T3SA+ virions or ISVPs at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC or 200 µM E64. After incubation for 48 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means.
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Reovirus ts mutants with defined blocks in viral replication are capable of inducing apoptosis. To test directly whether steps in reovirus replication following disassembly are required to induce apoptosis, we utilized a panel of reovirus ts mutants that were generated by chemical mutagenesis of reovirus prototype strain T3D (20, 26). These viral mutants have defects in synthesis of viral dsRNA, assembly of core and double-shelled particles, or cell entry of progeny virions (14, 20-22, 26, 27) (Table 1).
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TABLE 1. Characteristics of reovirus ts mutantsa
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FIG. 3. (A) Growth of reovirus ts mutants in HeLa cells. Cells (5 x 104) were infected with the reovirus ts mutants shown at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated at permissive or nonpermissive temperature. Viral titers were determined 0 and 48 h after infection, and viral yields were calculated by dividing viral titer at 48 h by viral titer at 0 h. (B) Apoptosis induced by reovirus ts mutants. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were either mock infected or infected with T3D or the reovirus ts mutants shown at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated at permissive or nonpermissive temperature. After incubation for 48 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean viral yield (A) or mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis (B) for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means. (C) PARP cleavage induced by reovirus ts mutants. HeLa cells (5 x 106) were either mock infected or infected with T3D, tsC447, tsD357, or tsG453 at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated at permissive (P) or nonpermissive (N) temperature. Nuclear extracts were prepared 24 h after infection, and 50 µg of total protein was resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose, and blotted with PARP-specific antiserum. The positions of full-length PARP and the 89-kDa PARP cleavage product are indicated. Molecular mass markers are indicated in kilodaltons.
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We thought it possible that the diminution in apoptosis induced by tsC447 and tsG453 at the nonpermissive temperature might be due to the inability of these ts viruses to initiate secondary rounds of infection at 39°C. Therefore, to minimize these potential differences, we assessed apoptosis at an earlier time point by performing immunoblotting to detect the cleavage of caspase substrate PARP, which occurs within 12 h following reovirus infection (11). HeLa cells were either mock infected or infected with T3D, tsC447, tsD357, or tsG453 at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated at either the permissive or the nonpermissive temperature for 24 h. Nuclear extracts were prepared and used in immunoblots for detection of full-length PARP and the 89-kDa PARP cleavage product (Fig. 3C). T3D, tsC447, tsD357, and tsG453 were each capable of inducing cleavage of PARP at the nonpermissive temperature. In tsD357-infected cells, apoptosis appeared to be more efficient at 39°C, as demonstrated by the absence of the PARP cleavage product in cells incubated at 32°C, a finding consistent with results obtained by acridine orange staining assays of tsD357-infected HeLa cells (Fig. 3B) and L cells (data not shown). Therefore, ts mutant reoviruses are capable of eliciting both the morphological and biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis at the nonpermissive temperature.
Viral RNA synthesis is not required for reovirus-induced apoptosis.
To determine whether viral RNA synthesis, including production of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) during primary transcription, is required for reovirus-induced apoptosis, we tested the capacity of reovirus to induce apoptosis in the presence of ribavirin. Ribavirin is a guanosine analog that inhibits production of viral ssRNA and dsRNA at concentrations that do not significantly alter cellular RNA synthesis (40, 52). To determine the concentration of ribavirin required to inhibit reovirus RNA synthesis in HeLa cells, we tested the effect of various concentrations of ribavirin on levels of reovirus protein produced as a surrogate marker. HeLa cells were infected with T3SA+ at an MOI of 1,000 PFU per cell and incubated for 24 h in media containing 25 to 200 µM ribavirin and [35S]methionine-cysteine. Radiolabeled viral proteins in cell lysates were immunoprecipitated using a T1L-specific polyclonal serum, which recognizes all T3SA+ proteins with the exception of
1. Immunoprecipitated viral proteins were resolved by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and visualized by autoradiography or quantitated by phosphorimager analysis (Fig. 4A). Reovirus protein synthesis was inhibited at each concentration of ribavirin tested, with levels of viral protein synthesis in cells treated with 200 µM ribavirin reduced to 3% of that in untreated cells. Growth of T3SA+ also was completely abolished in the presence of 200 µM ribavirin (data not shown). Cellular protein synthesis in reovirus-infected cells was not significantly altered by ribavirin concentrations of
200 µM (data not shown).
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FIG. 4. (A) T3SA+ protein synthesis in cells treated with ribavirin. HeLa cells (2 x 106) were either mock infected or infected with T3SA+ at an MOI of 1,000 PFU per cell. Cells were incubated for 24 h in the presence of ribavirin (Rib) at the concentrations shown and [35S]methionine-cysteine. Viral proteins were immunoprecipitated from cell lysates, resolved by SDS-PAGE, dried, and exposed to film. Reovirus , µ, and proteins are indicated. Total viral protein was quantitated by phosphorimager analysis, and the relative amount of protein present is indicated (protein in untreated cells is arbitrarily set at 100). (B and C) Apoptosis induced by reovirus (B) or TNF- (C) in cells treated with ribavirin. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were mock infected, infected with T3SA+ at an MOI of 1,000 PFU per cell, or treated with 10 ng of TNF- per ml and incubated in the absence or presence of ribavirin at the concentrations shown. Mock-infected cells (B) and ribavirin-treated cells (C) were incubated in the presence of 200 µM ribavirin. After incubation for 24 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means.
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(Fig. 4C). These results suggest that neither synthesis of ssRNA during primary transcription nor steps in reovirus replication subsequent to primary transcription are required for apoptosis induction.
Reovirus-induced NF-
B activation is blocked by inhibition of viral disassembly but not by inhibition of viral RNA synthesis.
We have previously demonstrated that reovirus infection leads to activation of NF-
B and that this activation is required for reovirus-induced apoptosis (12). To determine whether inhibitors of either viral disassembly or RNA synthesis block activation of NF-
B, we used an NF-
B-specific oligonucleotide probe in EMSAs performed with nuclear extracts prepared from untreated cells and cells treated with AC, E64, or ribavirin. HeLa cells were either mock infected or infected with T3D, a relatively potent inducer of NF-
B activation (12), or T3SA+, a relatively weak inducer of NF-
B (11), at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell. Following adsorption, cells were incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC, 200 µM E64, or 200 µM ribavirin for 10 h. Nuclear extracts were prepared and used in EMSAs (Fig. 5). Both T3D and T3SA+ induced NF-
B activation in untreated cells and in cells treated with ribavirin. However, NF-
B activation was blocked in cells treated with either AC or E64. TNF-
retains the capacity to activate NF-
B in the presence of each inhibitor (data not shown), indicating that the inhibition of NF-
B activation in reovirus-infected cells treated with AC or E64 is a direct consequence of the capacity of these inhibitors to block viral disassembly. These results suggest that NF-
B activation, a biochemical signal necessary for reovirus-induced apoptosis, is elicited following viral disassembly but prior to synthesis of viral ssRNA.
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FIG. 5. Reovirus-induced activation of NF- B in the presence of AC, E64, and ribavirin. HeLa cells (5 x 106) were either mock infected or infected with T3D or T3SA+ at an MOI of 100 PFU per cell and incubated in the absence (-) or presence of 10 mM AC, 200 µM E64, or 200 µM ribavirin (Rib). After incubation for 10 h, nuclear extracts were prepared. Extracts (10 µg) were incubated with a 32P-labeled oligonucleotide comprised of the NF- B consensus binding sequence. Incubation mixtures were resolved by acrylamide gel electrophoresis, dried, and exposed to film. The position of the activated NF- B complex is indicated.
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TABLE 2. Characteristics of dsRNA+ and dsRNA- reovirus particles
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FIG. 6. (A) Apoptosis induced by T3SA+ particles lacking genomic dsRNA. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were either mock infected or infected with dsRNA+ or dsRNA- virions or ISVPs of T3SA+ at an MOI of 5 x 10-4 HA units per cell. After incubation for 24 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. (B) Dose-dependent apoptosis induced by T3SA+ dsRNA- particles. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were either mock infected or infected with T3SA+ dsRNA- ISVPs at the MOIs shown. After incubation for 24 h, cells were stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means.
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FIG. 7. (A) Model for coinfection of T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions. In AC-treated cells, T3SA+ virions bind JAM and sialic acid (SA) and enter cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis but do not disassemble or undergo subsequent steps in the viral replication cycle. In contrast, T3SA- ISVPs bind JAM, penetrate cells at the cell surface or from within endocytic vesicles, and complete all subsequent steps in viral replication. (B) Apoptosis induced by coinfection of T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions in AC-treated cells. HeLa cells (5 x 104) were either mock infected or infected with T3SA- ISVPs, T3SA+ virions, or both T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions. Coinfections were performed simultaneously or offset by 4 h. Cells were incubated in the absence or presence of 10 mM AC for 48 h and stained with acridine orange. The results are expressed as the mean percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis for three independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations of the means.
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For other viruses, such as Sindbis virus, apoptosis is triggered by events that occur during cell entry subsequent to attachment (28, 29). Inhibitors of endosomal acidification, which block Sindbis virus fusion with endosomal membranes, prevent virus-induced apoptosis (29). In addition, interaction of Sindbis virus glycoproteins E1 and E2 with endosomal membranes results in activation of sphingomyelinases and the subsequent accumulation of ceramide, which has been hypothesized to mediate the apoptotic response following Sindbis virus infection (28). These findings pinpoint the initiation of Sindbis virus-induced apoptosis to fusion of the viral envelope with endosomal membranes. Interestingly, like apoptosis induced by reovirus, Sindbis virus-induced apoptosis requires activation of NF-
B (32).
We have previously demonstrated that the efficiency with which reovirus induces apoptosis is determined by receptor utilization. Specifically, binding of reovirus attachment protein
1 to both cell surface sialic acid and JAM is required to achieve maximal levels of apoptosis following reovirus infection (5, 11). However, results reported here indicate that receptor engagement is not sufficient to initiate this cellular response. We found that treatment of cells with either AC or E64, both of which inhibit disassembly of reovirus virions, abolishes apoptosis induced by reovirus infection. ISVPs generated in vitro by chymotrypsin treatment are capable of inducing apoptosis in the presence or absence of each of these inhibitors. We also found that NF-
B activation, which is required for reovirus-induced apoptosis, is blocked in cells treated with either AC or E64. These data demonstrate that virion disassembly is an absolute requirement to elicit both NF-
B activation and apoptosis following reovirus infection.
In contrast to the requirement for viral disassembly, three lines of evidence suggest that viral RNA synthesis is dispensable for reovirus-induced apoptosis. First, each of six reovirus ts mutants, which have distinct blocks in the viral replication cycle, is capable of causing the morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis. Second, the capacity of reovirus to activate NF-
B and induce apoptosis is not diminished in cells treated with the viral RNA synthesis inhibitor ribavirin. Third, reovirus particles deficient in genomic dsRNA are capable of inducing apoptosis. Although these experiments do not exclude a contribution of postdisassembly events to enhancing the magnitude of reovirus-induced apoptosis, these findings strongly suggest that viral RNA synthesis and subsequent steps in reovirus replication are not required to elicit this process.
We thought it possible that reovirus attachment and disassembly might provide two distinct signals, both of which are required for apoptosis induction. On the other hand, engagement of reovirus ISVPs with cellular receptors, either at the cell membrane or within endocytic vesicles, might act as the sole signal to initiate the apoptotic response. To distinguish between these possibilities, we tested the capacity of T3SA- ISVPs to complement the AC-mediated block to apoptosis in cells infected with T3SA+ virions. We found that coinfection with T3SA- ISVPs and T3SA+ virions failed to rescue the block to apoptosis in AC-treated cells. This finding supports the idea that individual viral particles must coordinately engage cellular receptors and disassemble to trigger apoptosis. Alternatively, if receptor binding and virion disassembly induce two discrete signals required for apoptosis, both signals must occur temporally and in close proximity to elicit an apoptotic response.
Our results indicate that ISVPs capable of binding both sialic acid and JAM can induce apoptosis by binding these receptors at the cell surface or in endocytic vesicles. We hypothesize that conformational changes in
1 that occur during viral disassembly (18, 23) enhance the affinity of
1 for sialic acid, JAM, or both receptors, leading to receptor aggregation and stimulation of intracellular signaling. Proteolytic processing of µ1/µ1C during virion disassembly also may influence virus-receptor interactions, which would provide a mechanistic explanation for the contribution of the M2 gene to the efficiency of apoptosis induction (41, 48).
Although our findings demonstrate that the binding of reovirus ISVPs to cellular receptors is required for induction of apoptosis, it is possible that this interaction is not sufficient to elicit an apoptotic response. Instead, the interaction of ISVPs with cellular membranes might trigger signaling events that synergize with signals produced by ISVP-receptor engagement. Membrane perturbations mediated by µ1/µ1C (25, 33, 35) also might account for the influence of the M2 gene in apoptosis magnitude. In support of this idea, incubation of reovirus strain T3D with a µ1/µ1C-specific monoclonal antibody reduces levels of reovirus-induced apoptosis in L cells (48). Membrane disruption mediated by µ1/µ1C may result in activation of lipid second messengers that function to promote apoptosis (24, 39), as is observed with Sindbis virus (28, 29).
Regardless of the precise biochemical mechanism used by reovirus virions to induce apoptosis, it is clear that reovirus receptors do not initiate the signaling events that elicit apoptosis from the cell surface, but rather from endocytic vesicles. Since it is possible that ISVPs enter cells by endocytosis or direct penetration of cell membranes, these particles may be capable of activating cellular signaling pathways at either the cell surface or within endosomes. Studies of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g., the epidermal growth factor receptor) (49) demonstrate that endocytosis plays a key role in determining the capacity of these receptors to initiate intracellular signaling as well as the potency of the signal induced (9). Endocytosis can influence receptor-initiated signaling by regulating receptor trafficking or properly localizing activated receptors near downstream signaling components (9). Similar effects also may be operant in the signaling events induced by the binding of reovirus to its receptors.
Findings reported here demonstrate that viral disassembly is an essential determinant of the outcome of reovirus infection and provide the first evidence that events subsequent to viral attachment are critical in mediating an apoptotic response. This work now establishes a foundation to define the signaling events that occur following reovirus engagement of sialic acid and JAM that culminate in apoptosis.
This work was supported by Public Health Service award AI50080 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Elizabeth B. Lamb Center for Pediatric Research. Additional support was provided by Public Health Service awards CA68485 for the Vanderbilt Cancer Center and DK20593 for the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center.
Present address: Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037. ![]()
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