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Journal of Virology, September 2004, p. 9568-9572, Vol. 78, No. 17
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.17.9568-9572.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Received 10 March 2004/ Accepted 26 April 2004
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We approached an investigation of this switch in influenza A virus-infected cell cultures by inhibiting the transition from mRNA transcription to RNA replication with cycloheximide (2, 14, 30), an inhibitor of protein synthesis. We confirmed the inhibitory effect of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml on influenza A/WSN/33 replication in human transformed kidney (293T) cells. Total RNA was isolated by TRIzol (Invitrogen) extraction from 293T cells at various time points after infection with influenza virus A/WSN/33 at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 5 in the presence or absence of cycloheximide. The RNA was analyzed by primer extension analysis (8) by using two 32P-labeled primers, one specific for neuraminidase (NA) mRNA and cRNA and the other specific for NA vRNA, generating cDNA with an expected size of 129 nucleotides from vRNA, 160 nucleotides from cRNA, and 169 to 177 nucleotides from mRNA depending on the length of the capped primer (Fig. 1A). Transcription of mRNA from vRNA and replication of vRNA through cRNA intermediates in infected 293T cells in the absence of cycloheximide is clearly demonstrated (Fig. 1A, left panel). RNA detected at zero hours postinfection represents RNA derived from the infecting virus particles. However, whereas vRNA derived from the infecting virus particle is transcribed to mRNA in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml, only minimal cRNA synthesis was detected at 6 h postinfection (Fig. 1A, middle and right panels). In addition, the vRNA signal remained constant throughout, representing input vRNA derived from the infecting virus particles. Therefore, synthesis of cRNA and replication of vRNA is severely inhibited in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml.
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FIG. 1. Cycloheximide-mediated inhibition of influenza virus A/WSN/33 cRNA synthesis can be rescued by the expression of PB1, PB2, PA, and NP. Viral RNA species were analyzed by NA gene-specific primer extension assays. mRNA is a broad heterogeneous band 9 to 17 nucleotides longer than cRNA due to its 5' cap-snatched sequence. (A) Time course of viral infection in the absence () or presence (+) of 100 µg of cycloheximide (CHX)/ml. The left-hand and middle panels are equally exposed, with a longer exposure of the middle panel at right showing minor breakthrough of cycloheximide inhibition of cRNA synthesis at 6 h postinfection. (B) Time course of viral infection in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml after prior (12 to 14 h) transfection of expression plasmids expressing viral proteins as indicated. (C) cRNA rescue with a cap binding mutant of PB2. 293T cells were transfected with plasmids expressing viral proteins (+) or empty plasmid vector (), as indicated, 12 to 14 h prior to infection by A/WSN/33 virus in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml. RNA was harvested at 2 h postinfection. PB1a, PB1-D445A/D446A; PB2c, PB2-F404A; wt, wild type; h pi, hours postinfection.
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FIG. 2. Analysis of the in vivo RNA synthesis activity of polymerase mutants used in the study. Plasmids expressing viral proteins (+) or empty plasmid vector (), as indicated, were transfected into 293T cells together with a plasmid (pPOLI-NA-RT) (9) directing polymerase I-driven transcription of NA vRNA as a template for RNA synthesis. Total RNA was isolated at 15 h posttransfection and analyzed by NA gene-specific primer extension. vRNA detected in the absence of PB1 (lane 1) represents polymerase I-derived template RNA. wt, wild type; PB1a, PB1-D445A/D446A; PB1r, PB1-Y559A; PB1ar, PB1-D445A/D446A/Y559A; PB2c, PB2-F404A.
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The determinants of the switch to cRNA synthesis were analyzed in more detail by replacing individual viral protein-expression plasmids in the transfection mixture with empty plasmid vector or by transfecting the plasmids separately. Expression of proteins (PB1a, PB2, PA, and NP) from transfected plasmids was confirmed by Western blot analyses (see, for example, Fig. S5 in the supplemental material). Omission of any one of the three polymerase subunits (PB1a, PB2, or PA) resulted in elimination of the cRNA signal (Fig. 3, compare lanes 1 to 3 with lane 5). However, in the absence of NP (lane 4), the cRNA signal was reduced but nevertheless remained clearly detectable (on a longer exposure) above background (lane 10). It follows that expression of any individual protein component alone (lanes 6 to 9) would yield no detectable cRNA signal. Overall, therefore, these data suggest that the polymerase, comprising subunits PB1, PB2, and PA, is necessary and sufficient for switching to cRNA synthesis, but it is strongly reinforced by NP. However, NP alone is insufficient for switching.
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FIG. 3. RNA polymerase and NP are essential for rescuing cRNA. 293T cells were transfected with plasmids expressing viral proteins (+) or empty plasmid vector (), as indicated, 12 to 14 h prior to infection with A/WSN/33 virus in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml. RNA was harvested at 2 h postinfection and the viral RNA species were analyzed by NA gene-specific primer extension assays. A longer exposure of the cRNA-specific bands is shown below to emphasise the detection of cRNA in lane 4. PB1a, PB1-D445A/D446A.
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We then examined whether the RNA-binding activity of the preexpressed polymerase was required for cRNA rescue. With this aim in mind, we identified a mutation in PB1 which inhibits cRNA promoter binding. Substituting tyrosine with alanine at residue 559, immediately adjacent to the proposed binding site for the 5' end of the vRNA promoter (20), in either PB1 (to yield PB1-Y559A [PB1r]) or in PB1a (to yield PB1-D445A/D446A/Y559A [PB1ar]), was found to result in significantly reduced but still detectable cRNA promoter binding in an in vitro cross-linking assay (Fig. 4A, compare lane 1 with lane 4 and lane 3 with lane 5). Polymerase possessing the Y559A mutation in PB1 was found to have no detectable transcriptional or replicative activity, both in vivo by an RNA synthesis (Fig. 2, compare lanes 2 and 4) or a CAT reporter (see Fig. S4A in the supplemental material) assay and in vitro by an ApG-primed transcription assay (see Fig. S4B in the supplemental material). The amino acid substitution was shown by Western blot analyses not to inhibit expression levels of PB1ar compared to PB1a in transfected cells (see Fig. S5 in the supplemental material). Furthermore, PB1a and PB1ar were shown to be complexed with the other polymerase subunits, since PB1 and PB2 could be readily detected by Western blotting after nickel-affinity purification of His-tagged PA (Fig. 4B). Strikingly, expression of PB1ar in the cRNA rescue assay yielded significantly reduced, but still detectable, cRNA signals compared to PB1a (Fig. 4C, compare lanes 2 and 3; lane 1 is background). This suggests that rescue of the cRNA signal is dependent on binding of the cRNA promoter by the polymerase.
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FIG. 4. cRNA rescue is reduced by a mutation inhibiting the cRNA promoter-binding activity of PB1. (A) Substitution of tyrosine at residue 559 in PB1 or PB1a with alanine inhibits photochemical cross-linking of the polymerase complex to labeled cRNA. Partially purified His-tagged polymerase from cells transfected with plasmids expressing wild-type or mutant PB1, PB2, and PA-His6 (8), or empty vectors, as indicated, were cross-linked with a 32P-labeled RNA probe corresponding to the 3'-end cRNA in the presence of an excess unlabeled 5'-end cRNA by UV irradiation (8). The products were analyzed by 8% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. The positions of the PB1 and comigrating PB2 and PA cross-linked bands are shown. (B) The Y559A mutation in PB1 does not inhibit polymerase complex formation. Partially purified His-tagged polymerase from cells transfected with plasmids expressing wild-type or mutant PB1, PB2, and PA-His6 (8), or empty vectors, as indicated, was subjected to Western blotting with antibodies raised against the individual subunits as shown. (C) PB1-Y559A severely restricts cRNA rescue. 293T cells were transfected with plasmids expressing viral proteins (+) or empty plasmid vector (), as indicated, 12 to 14 h prior to infection by A/WSN/33 virus in the presence of 100 µg of cycloheximide/ml. RNA was harvested at 2 h postinfection, and viral RNA species were analyzed by NA gene-specific primer extension assays. A longer exposure of the cRNA-specific bands is shown below to emphasize the differences in cRNA levels. wt, wild type; PB1a, PB1-D445A/D446A; PB1r, PB1-Y559A; PB1ar, PB1-D445A/D446A/Y559A.
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Various models of switching from transcription to replication in influenza A virus infection have been proposed (27). NP was identified as a prime candidate for a switching molecule based on several temperature-sensitive NP mutants defective in replication and RNA binding (18, 22, 29) and biochemical studies that suggested that free NP is required for the synthesis of full-length transcripts (3, 28). It was proposed that interaction of NP with the polymerase (4, 23) or with the promoter element of the template RNA (10, 17) alters the mode of transcriptional initiation. More recently, the PB2 and PA subunits of the polymerase have also been implicated from studies of mutations affecting viral replication but not transcription (11, 16). However, all of these models were based on the assumption that cRNA is not synthesized early in infection, an assumption that is now challenged. In fact, low levels of cRNA have previously been detected early in infection in the presence of cycloheximide (2), but these data were discounted at the time.
Based on our results, we propose a new "stabilization" model for influenza viral infection (Fig. 5) in which vRNPs derived from the infecting virus synthesize both mRNA and cRNA. mRNA is protected from normal cellular degradative processes by the presence of a 5' cap and a 3' poly(A) tail, whereas nascent cRNA is presumably rapidly degraded by host cell nucleases. The transition to a replicative phase occurs when cRNA is protected by the specific binding of RNA polymerase (assembled from newly synthesized PB1, PB2, and PA) to the cRNA promoter (12). The fact that polymerase alone (i.e., in the absence of NP), which is known to bind both the 5' and 3' ends of cRNA (6), can rescue cRNA suggests that host 5' and 3' exonucleases may be involved. The cRNA-polymerase promoter complex then serves as a nucleation point for binding of free newly synthesized NP, leading to the formation of active and stable cRNPs suitable for replicative vRNA synthesis. Crucially, this model proposes that there is no switch regulating initiation of mRNA or cRNA synthesis but that newly synthesized polymerase and NP stabilize cRNA transcripts later in infection. We suggest that it explains why mutations in NP (4, 22, 23, 28), PB2 (16), or PA (11), which may interfere with cRNP complex formation, can affect the transition between mRNA transcription and RNA replication phases.
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FIG. 5. Models for switching between influenza A viral transcription and replication. (A) Classical model. Early in infection, vRNA is transcribed to mRNA (primary transcription). Expression of NP switches primary transcription to replication (synthesis of cRNA and vRNA) and subsequent secondary transcription. (B) Proposed "stabilization" model. Early in infection, mRNA and cRNA are synthesized, but cRNA is degraded. Later in infection, once PB1, PB2, PA, and NP are synthesized, cRNA is stabilized as a cRNP complex that can be replicated to vRNA. See the text for further details.
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Our stabilization model suggests that the initiation of mRNA or cRNA synthesis by influenza A virus polymerase may be regulated stochastically; that is, random primer-dependent or independent initiation dictating the synthesis of mRNA or cRNA, possibly involving subtle conformational differences in the structure of the polymerase (15, 26). Stochastic regulation at the level of initiation of cRNA synthesis, while being "wasteful" by generating cRNA destined for degradation, would reflect the limited genetic resources possessed by RNA viruses for complex regulation. It will be interesting to use our new model and our methodological approach to determine whether a similar mechanism of gene regulation also occurs in other negative- and positive-sense RNA viruses in which it has proved difficult to define the precise mechanism regulating transcription and replication (1, 19, 25).
This study was supported by MRC grants G9523972 and G9901312 to G.G.B. and an EPA Fellowship to T.E.J.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jvi.asm.org/. ![]()
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