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Journal of Virology, April 2005, p. 4382-4395, Vol. 79, No. 7
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.79.7.4382-4395.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Gareth Howell,1,
Caroline Knox,2
Graham J. Belsham,1
Paul Monaghan,1
Martin D. Ryan,2 and
Thomas Wileman1*
Pirbright Laboratory, BBSRC Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Surrey,1 School of Biology, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, United Kingdom2
Received 12 July 2004/ Accepted 23 November 2004
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In addition to providing the membranes required for picornavirus replication, the ER and Golgi apparatus are also important for the delivery of proteins to the surfaces of cells (33, 35, 39). This is particularly important in the context of a virus infection where secretion of cytokines and the cell surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins loaded with viral peptides enable infected cells to be recognized by the innate and acquired immune system. The secretion of alpha and beta interferons, for example, induces major changes in gene expression within infected cells and cells surrounding the site of infection (8, 9). This leads to increased expression of antiviral proteins, for example, MX and PKR, which are thought to slow the replication of the virus. Many viral infections lead to the activation of NF-
B, a transcription factor, which increases the expression and consequent secretion of several proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
) (25). These chemokines attract cells of the immune system to sites of infection and enhance their proliferation and differentiation. The secretory pathway also plays a key role in delivering MHC class 1 peptide complexes to the surfaces of cells for presentation to cytotoxic T cells, allowing the elimination of virus-infected cells (22). Interestingly, recent work has suggested that modulation of the host protein secretory pathway induced by PV 3A, affecting the movement of proteins through the secretory pathway, may offer an immunological advantage to the virus. The PV 3A protein has, for example, been shown to reduce the secretion of beta interferon, IL-6, and IL-8 and to compromise MHC class 1 antigen presentation (11, 13). The block in the secretory pathway may also increase cell survival since PV 3A has been shown to protect cells from TNF-
-induced apoptosis by reducing expression of the TNF receptor at the cell surface (31).
To date, most studies on the effects of picornavirus nonstructural proteins on membrane traffic and secretion have been carried out using PV proteins. There are differences between the nonstructural proteins encoded by different picornaviruses (see below). Hence, it is possible that the nonstructural proteins encoded by different picornaviruses may differ in their effects on the secretory pathway.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a picornavirus which causes an economically important disease of ruminants. The main barrier to the effective control of FMDV through vaccination is the establishment of persistent infections in infected and vaccinated animals. Live virus can be recovered from probang samples taken from the upper respiratory tracts of persistently infected animals, and these animals are therefore excluded from the food chain and eliminated by slaughter (2). The establishment of a persistent infection by FMDV suggests that the virus has a mechanism to inhibit innate and acquired immune defenses. Given the observations on the effect of PV infection on the integrity of the secretory pathway and the ability of PV 3A to block trafficking of interferons, cytokines, and MHC molecules, we have studied the effects of individual FMDV nonstructural proteins on the delivery of membrane proteins to the cell surface. The results show that, unlike PV 3A, the FMDV 3A protein does not block the secretory pathway; instead, ER-to-Golgi transport is inhibited by FMDV 2BC.
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Transfection of cells. Vero cells (ECACC 84113001; the European Collection of Cell Cultures, Wiltshire, United Kingdom) were grown to 70% confluency in 5% CO2 at 37oC in HEPES-buffered Dulbecco modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal calf serum, 100 Système International units of penicillin/ml, 100 µg of streptomycin/ml, and 20 mM L-glutamine. Cells were then transfected with plasmid DNA (0.5 µg/well in a 24-well plate or 46 µg/175-cm2 flask) by using Transfast (Promega, Southampton, United Kingdom) in HEPES-buffered Dulbecco modified Eagle's medium for 1 h at 37oC.
Antibodies. Rabbit antibody N-ß-COP was raised to the synthetic peptide CKKEAGELKPEEEITVGPVQK. Rabbit antibody TW20 was raised against a peptide representing the C terminus of calnexin. Rabbit anti-ERp57 has been described previously (36). Mouse anti-FMDV 2C (3F7) and mouse anti-FMDV 3A (2C2) were a kind gift of E. Brocchi (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dellEmilia, Brescia, Italy). Rabbit antibody DM12 that recognizes FMDV 2C was provided by D. Mackay (Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, Surrey, United Kingdom). Mouse anti-V5 was purchased from Invitrogen. A mouse monoclonal antibody (I1) recognizing the ectodomain of the VSV G protein was a generous gift from Douglas Lyles (Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Wake Forest, N.C.) and has been described previously (27).
Metabolic labeling and cellular fractionation. Vero cells grown to approximately 90% confluence in 175-cm2 flasks were trypsinized and labeled metabolically for 2 h at 37oC by using 10 MBq of 35S-Promix (Amersham Life Sciences, Little Chalfont, St. Giles, United Kingdom) per ml in methionine- and cysteine-free media. Washed cells were suspended in 8% (wt/vol) buffered sucrose (50 mM Tris, 1mM EDTA [pH7.4]) containing 1 µg/ml each of leupeptin, pepstatin, chymostatin, and antipain (Roche, Lewes, United Kingdom) and homogenized by 20 passages through a 25-gauge syringe needle. Whole cells and nuclei were removed by centrifugation at 6,000 rpm for 2 min at 4°C in a Sorval Fresco centrifuge. Postnuclear supernatants were then spun at 13,000 rpm for 20 min at 4°C in the same machine. The resulting supernatant was buffered with 50 mM HEPES [pH7.4], and membrane (P) and cytosol (SN) fractions were separated by centrifugation at 33,000 rpm for 2 h at 4°C in a Beckman L8-M ultracentrifuge. The membrane pellet was dissolved in immunoprecipitation buffer (10 mM Tris [pH7.8]; 0.15 M NaCl; 10mM iodoacetamide; 1mM EDTA; 1mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride; 1 µg/ml each of leupeptin, pepstain, chymostatin, and antipain [Roche] per ml; 2% [vol/vol] Triton X-100). In parallel experiments, the level of aggregated insoluble protein in the membrane fraction was determined by solubilizing the postnuclear membrane fraction in immunoprecipitation buffer prior to centrifugation. Insoluble aggregated protein was recovered in a pellet (P*) generated by centrifugation at 13,000 rpm for 20 min at 4°C in a Sorval Fresco centrifuge. The accompanying supernatant contained proteins extracted from the membrane (SN*). The aggregated proteins in the pellet were solubilized in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in 50 mM HEPES [pH7.4] and diluted 100-fold in immunoprecipitation buffer. All fractions were immunoprecipitated using antibodies coupled to protein A and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by autoradiography as described previously (36).
Indirect immunofluorescence and microscopy. Cells were seeded onto 13-mm-diameter glass coverslips (Agar Scientific, Stanstead, United Kingdom) and transfected in situ. Samples were fixed in 4% (wt/vol) paraformaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 45 min at room temperature, washed in PBS, and stored at 4°C. Cells were permeabilized and incubated in blocking buffer 1 (50 mM Tris [pH 7.4], 150 mM NaCl, 1% [wt/vol] gelatin, 1% [vol/vol] Nonidet P-40, 30% [vol/vol] normal goat serum) with shaking for 15 min at room temperature. Primary antibodies were diluted in blocking buffer 1 and incubated with coverslips for 30 min at room temperature. Samples were then washed three times in 0.5% Tween 20 (Sigma, Poole, United Kingdom) in PBS. Primary antibodies were detected with Alexa 488-, Alexa 568- or Alexa 633-conjugated species-specific immunoglobulins (Molecular Probes through Invitrogen) diluted 1:200 in blocking buffer 1. DNA was stained with 50 ng of DAPI (4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole; Sigma)/ml. Coverslips were mounted in Vectashield (Vector Laboratories, Peterborough, United Kingdom) and imaged in a Leica TCS SP2 confocal microscope.
For surface staining, cells were incubated in blocking buffer 2 (50 mM Tris [pH 7.4], 150 mM NaCl, 1% [wt/vol] gelatin, 30% [vol/vol] normal goat serum) with shaking for 15 min at room temperature. Primary antibodies were diluted in blocking buffer 2 and incubated with coverslips for 30 min at room temperature. Cells were then permeabilized and incubated in blocking buffer 1 by using the same procedure described above for further primary antibody incubations and then detection.
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FIG. 1. Distribution of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein at permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. Vero cells expressing TsO45 GYFP were incubated for 48 h at 40oC (A and B). Cells were also incubated for a further 30 min (C and D) or 3 h (E and F) at 32oC. For intracellular staining (panels B and D), cells were fixed, permeabilized, and counterstained using antibodies specific for ERp57 or using ß-COP as indicated in the panel. For surface staining (panel F), cells were incubated with an antibody (I1) specific for the ectodomain of the G protein before permeabilization. Intracellular TsO45 GYFP (panels A, C, and E) was visualized through the natural fluorescence of YFP. Primary antibodies were detected using goat antibody conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels B, D, and F). Bars, 8 µm (panels B and D) or 16 µm (panel F).
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FIG. 2. Amino acid sequence comparison between the 2BC through 3A regions of picornaviruses. PV type 1, bovine enterovirus (BEV), human rhinovirus type 1 (HRV-1), FMDV, encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), Theiler's murine encephalitis virus (TMEV), and hepatitis A virus (HAV) 2B, 2C, and 3A regions were aligned using MACAW (41). Blocks of similarity were detected with a pairwise cutoff score of 25 (minimum of two sequences). Sequence similarities of 70 to 100% are shown by dark grey bars, while similarities of 30 to 70% are shown by light grey bars.
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FIG. 3. FMDV 3A is membrane associated but does not block transport of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein to the cell surface. (A) Membrane association of FMDV protein 3A. Mock-transfected Vero cells or Vero cells expressing FMDV 3A were metabolically labeled with [35S]methionine-cysteine and then homogenized. Postnuclear supernatants were separated by centrifugation into crude cytosol (SN) and membrane (P) fractions. Half the membrane fraction was solubilized in 2% Triton X-100 and recentrifuged to produce a solubilized membrane fraction (SN*) and a pellet of insoluble aggregated protein (P*). Equivalent fractions were immunoprecipitated using antibodies specific for 3A (2C2) or calnexin (CNX). Proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and detected by autoradiography. (B to J) Transport of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein to the surfaces of cells transfected with FMDV 3A. Vero cells were transiently cotransfected with plasmids which express TsO45 GYFP and FMDV 3A and incubated for 48 h at 40oC (panels B to D). A set of cells was also incubated for a further 30 min (panels E to G) or 3 h (panels H to J) at 32oC. All cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, and surface expression of the G protein was detected by adding an antibody (I1), recognizing the ectodomain of the G protein, prior to permeabilization (panels D, G, and J). Cells were then permeabilized, and intracellular staining of FMDV 3A was visualized using antibody 2C2 (panels B, E, and H). Intracellular TsO45 GYFP was visualized directly using the signal from YFP (panels C, F, and I). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels B, E, and H) or Alexa-633 (panels D, G, and J). Bars, 10 µm. Arrow indicates surface staining of G protein in cells expressing FMDV 3A.
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Effect of FMDV P2 proteins on transport through the secretory pathway. The experiments described above suggested that FMDV 3A does not stop movement of membrane proteins from the ER to the cell surface. Similar experiments were therefore used to examine whether the P2 proteins encoded by FMDV affect the secretory pathway. Figure 4 shows the membrane fractionation of cells expressing FMDV 2B. The 2B protein migrated at approximately 17 kDa on SDS-PAGE gels and was immunoprecipitated from the membrane fraction and copartitioned with calnexin, indicating membrane association in cells. The immunoprecipitates of the cytosolic fraction included proteins of 18 and 15 kDa that were present in the untransfected control extracts; however, a protein of 17 kDa representative of 2B was absent from this fraction, showing that the 2B protein was predominantly membrane associated. Again, the possibility that the proteins pelleted because of aggregation was tested by solubilizing membranes in mild detergent before centrifugation. In each case, the proteins were recovered exclusively from the solubilized fraction (SN*), indicating a lack of protein aggregation.
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FIG. 4. Subcellular location of FMDV 2B. (A) Membrane association of FMDV protein 2B. Vero cells were mock transfected or transfected with a vector encoding 2Bv5. After 48 h, cells were fractionated as described in the legend to Fig. 3A. The V5-epitope-tagged 2B (2Bv5) was immunoprecipitated using antibody specific for the V5 tag (V5). Calnexin was detected using an antipeptide antibody (CNX). Proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and detected by autoradiography. (B to G) Intracellular distribution of FMDV 2B. Vero cells expressing 2Bv5 were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and then permeabilized. 2Bv5 was detected using the epitope tag (panels B and E). Cells were counterstained using antibody specific for ERp57 (panels C and F). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels A and E) or Alexa-488 (panels C and F). Panels D and G are digitally merged images. Panels E to G are higher magnifications of the insets defined in panels B to D, respectively. Bars, 8 µm (panel D) or 4 µm (panel G).
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FIG. 5. Subcellular location of FMDV 2BC and 2C. (A) Membrane association of FMDV proteins 2BC and 2C. Vero cells were mock transfected or transfected with a vector encoding 2BC or 2C. After 48 h, cells were fractionated as described in the legend to Fig. 3A. Both 2C and 2BC were immunoprecipitated using the DM12 antibody specific for 2C. Calnexin was detected using an antipeptide antibody (CNX). Proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE and detected by autoradiography. (B to J) Intracellular distribution of FMDV 2BC and 2C. Vero cells expressing 2C (panels B to G) or 2BC (panels H to J) were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and then permeabilized. 2C and 2BC were both detected using antibody 3F7 (panels B, E, and H), and cells were counterstained using antibodies against ERp57 (panels C and I) or ß-COP (panel F). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels B, E, and H) or Alexa-488 (panels C, F, and I). Panels D, G, and J are digitally merged images. Bars, 8 µm.
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The effects of individual P2 protein on the movement of the TsO45 GYFP protein from the ER to the cell surface was tested using the temperature shift experiment described above for FMDV 3A. Cells expressing P2 proteins and the TsO45 GYFP protein were maintained at 40oC for 48 h and then shifted to 32oC for 30 min or 3 h. Figure 6 shows cells expressing TsO45 GYFP and FMDV 2B. At 40oC, the G protein was located in a reticular structure suggestive of the ER (panel B) and was absent from the cell surface (panel C). At this nonpermissive temperature, the FMDV 2B protein was located in a reticular structure (panel A) very similar to that of the G protein. When cells were observed after 30 min at 32oC, the 2B protein remained in reticular structures (panel D) but the G protein had moved to the Golgi apparatus (panel E) but had not reached the cell surface (panel F). Panels G to I show cells observed 3 h after the temperature shift. The 2B protein remained reticular (panel G), but the TsO45 GYFP protein had now reached the surface in transfected cells (panels H and I). A similar experiment was performed for 2C (Fig. 7). The majority of FMDV 2C protein was in punctate structures in a perinuclear Golgi-like location (panel A). These structures did not colocalize with the reticular signal from the G protein (panel B), suggesting they were separate from the ER. The temperature shift had little effect on the distribution of 2C, which remained in perinuclear clusters (panels D and G). Figure 7E shows that FMDV 2C did not prevent movement of the G protein to the Golgi apparatus at 30 min (panel E) or to the cell surface after 3 h (panel I).
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FIG. 6. FMDV 2B does not block transport of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein to the cell surface. Vero cells were transiently cotransfected with TsO45 GYFP and FMDV 2Bv5 and incubated for 48 h at 40oC (A to C). Some cells were also incubated for a further 30 min (D to F) or 3 h (G to I) at 32oC. All cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, and surface expression of the G protein was detected by adding an antibody (I1), recognizing the ectodomain of the G protein, prior to permeabilization (panels C, F, and I). Cells were then permeabilized, and 2Bv5 was detected using the epitope tag (panels A, D, and G). Intracellular TsO45 GYFP was visualized directly using the signal from YFP (panels B, E, and H). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels A, D, and G) or Alexa-633 (panels C, F, and I). Bars, 10 µm.
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FIG. 7. FMDV 2C does not block transport of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein to the cell surface. Vero cells were transiently cotransfected with TsO45 GYFP and FMDV 2C and incubated for 48 h at 40oC (A to C). Some cells were also incubated for a further 30 min (D to F) or 3 h (G to I) at 32oC. All cells were fixed, and surface expression of the G protein was detected by adding an antibody (I1), recognizing the ectodomain of the G protein, prior to permeabilization (panels C, F and I). Cells were then permeabilized, and 2C was detected using antibody 3F7 (panels A, D, and G). Intracellular TsO45 GYFP was visualized directly using the signal from YFP (panels B, E, and H). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels A, D, and G) or Alexa-633 (panels C, F, and I). Bars, 10 µm.
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FIG. 8. FMDV 2BC blocks transport of VSV TsO45 GYFP protein to the cell surface. Vero cells were transiently cotransfected with TsO45 GYFP and FMDV 2BC and incubated for 48 h at 40oC (A to C). Some cells were also incubated for a further 30 min (D to F) or 3 h (G to I) at 32oC. All cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, and surface expression of the G protein was detected by adding an antibody (I1), recognizing the ectodomain of the G protein, prior to permeabilization (panels C, F, and I). Cells were then permeabilized, and 2BC was detected using antibody 3F7 (panels A, D and G). Intracellular TsO45 GYFP was visualized directly using the signal from YFP (panels B, E, and H). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-568 (panels A, D, and G) or Alexa-633 (panels C, F, and I). Bars, 10 µm. Arrows indicate cells transfected with TsO45 GYFP only and show the reticular pattern of the G protein in cells at 40oC (panel B) and the Golgi appearance of the G protein after moving the cells to 32oC (panel E) for 30 min.
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FIG. 9. VSV TsO45 GYFP cellular location in FMDV 2BC-transfected cells. (A to C) Vero cells were transiently cotransfected with vectors expressing TsO45 GYFP, DsRed2-ER, and FMDV 2BC proteins and incubated for 48 h at 40oC. (D to I) Some cells were also incubated for a further 3 h at 32oC. Surface expression of TsO45 GYFP protein was determined by immunofluorescence analysis of fixed, but not permeabilized, cells by using the antibody I1, specific for the ectodomain of the G protein (panels A, D, and G). Panels A, D, and G also show the internal location of TsO45 GYFP detected from the fluorescence of the YFP in transfected cells. Panels B, E, and H show the location of DsRed2-ER, a marker for the ER, detected from the DsRed2 fluorescence. Following I1 staining, cells were permeabilized and 2BC was detected using antibody DM12 (C, F, and I). Primary antibodies were visualized with appropriate goat antibodies conjugated to Alexa-488 (panels A, D, and G) or Alexa-633 (panels C, F, and I). Bars, 8 µm (panel A), 20 µm (panel D), and 4 µm (panel G). Arrows indicate reticular patterns of the G protein and the ER marker.
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The effects of the 3A, 2B, 2C, and 2BC proteins of FMDV on the function of the secretory pathway were analyzed by following the movement of the TsO45 mutant of the VSV G protein from the ER to the cell surface. Surprisingly, even though FMDV 3A, 2B, and 2C were located in membranes of the early secretory pathway, they did not block transport of the TsO45 GYFP protein from the ER to the Golgi apparatus or to the cell surface. It is not possible from our assay to show that 3A, 2B, and 2C did not slow the movement of the G protein from the ER to the Golgi apparatus and to the cell surface. Our study does, however, clearly show that following 30 min at the permissive temperature, 3A, 2B, and 2C had no obvious effect on movement of the G protein from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. In contrast, in the presence of FMDV 2BC, the TsO45 GYFP protein failed to reach the Golgi apparatus or surfaces of cells but localized with 2BC inside the cell. Triple-staining experiments showed that 2BC causes retention of the G protein in a modified ER compartment and that this retention lasts at least 3 h. The effect of FMDV 2BC on trafficking of the TsO45 GYFP protein was observed in about 200 cells at different levels of expression, and in each case, the expression of 2BC appeared to result in the retention of TsO45 GYFP within an intracellular vesicular compartment. The exact nature of these 2BC-positive structures containing the retained G protein and ER markers is not known but worthy of further investigation. Interestingly, in cells infected with PV or transfected with PV 2BC, the 2BC protein localizes to ER exit sites and sec13-positive vesicles (37). Sec13 is a component of the COPII complex which is involved in anterograde (ER-to-Golgi) vesicle formation and budding (4). In our studies, we were unable to colocalize sec13 with 2BC or the structures in which the TsO45 GYFP appears to accumulate (data not shown). The TsO45 GYFP does not therefore appear to accumulate at ER exit sites.
This study shows that FMDV differs from PV in the ability of nonstructural proteins to modulate the secretory pathway. Evidence that different picornaviruses may utilize the secretory pathway in different ways has also been provided by previous studies (20, 23) in which it was demonstrated that three genera of the Picornaviridae show different sensitivities to BFA. This agent prevents Arf1-dependent recruitment of COP1 coats onto the Golgi apparatus, and the differential sensitivity to the drug suggests that different viruses have different requirements for COP1 coats during the formation of membrane vesicles utilized for replication. This is supported by the observation that COP1 is found associated with the replication complexes formed by BFA-sensitive viruses (parechovirus VI, echovirus 11) but not those resistant to the drug (encephalomyocarditis virus [EMCV]) (20). FMDV is also insensitive to BFA (30), so given the results from the present study, it will be interesting to see if other BFA-resistant viruses use 2BC rather than 3A to block ER-to-Golgi transport.
The PV 3A protein induces swelling of ER cisternae and a consequent block in the movement of proteins from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. In our study, the FMDV 3A protein also bound to the ER, but from immunofluorescence studies, it did not prevent the trafficking of the TsO45 GYFP protein to the cell surface. An explanation for this may lie in a comparison of the sequences of PV and FMDV 3A proteins. The PV 3A protein is 85 amino acids in length, while the FMDV protein is larger, with an extra 50 amino acids at the C terminus. Both proteins have hydrophobic domains that would explain their membrane association, but the N and C termini are very different. Interestingly, mutations near the N terminus of PV 3A reduce its ability to block ER-to-Golgi transport. This is most apparent from the insertion of a single serine residue between threonine 15 and serine 16 which produces a temperature-sensitive mutant unable to block secretion at 37oC (14). This N-terminal region also contains a series of proline residues conserved amongst the rhino- and enteroviruses but absent from the aphthoviruses (FMDV) and cardioviruses (EMCV). The loss of this region from FMDV may explain the lack of effect of the protein on ER-to-Golgi transport.
In mammalian cells, the PV 2B and 2BC proteins also slow movement of proteins to the cell surface (15). Since PV 2C does not block secretion when expressed alone, it is generally assumed that 2B is the active component of 2BC. Interestingly, the PV 2B protein does not block movement from the ER to the Golgi apparatus but rather arrests protein traffic in the Golgi apparatus. In our experiments, there was no intracellular arrest of traffic in cells expressing FMDV 2B. In a few cases, in cells expressing high levels of FMDV 2C, the G protein appeared to be retained in the cell, where it colocalized with 2C. However, this was seen in as few as 2% of cells examined. Observations from this study also point to differences in the types of membrane rearrangement induced by nonstructural proteins from different genera of picornaviruses. PV 2BC expressed alone in cells produces a punctate cytoplasmic staining which colocalizes with domains of the ER enriched for COP11 proteins, suggesting location to ER exit sites (37). In our experiments, FMDV 2BC also produced a punctate staining in the cytoplasm, but we were unable to colocalize these structures with proteins of the COP11 complex (data not shown). We also observed remodeling of the ER into large vesicular structures close to the nuclei in cells expressing FMDV 2BC. For PV, it is the 3A protein that remodels the ER by causing swelling of ER cisternae, whereas the PV 2BC protein induces vesicle formation and PV 2C induces extensive tubular structures in the rough ER lumen (10, 43). The high level of sequence similarity in 3A seen between the rhinoviruses and other enteroviruses suggests that the 3A protein expressed by each of these viruses will also block membrane traffic, whereas the lower sequence similarity observed for 3A encoded by hepatitis A virus, Theiler's virus, and EMCV raises the possibility that they will behave differently and perhaps more like FMDV. Studies of hepatitis A virus-infected cells, using electron microscopy, showed that the 2BC protein modifies the ER into tight crystalloid structures (45). It may be that the hepatitis A 2BC protein also disrupts host membrane protein trafficking. Recent studies have investigated the ability of hepatitis C virus nonstructural proteins to induce membrane rearrangements and block the secretory pathway (24). Both the hepatitis C virus NS4B protein and its precursor NS4A/B expressed alone in cells produced a membranous web thought to be derived from the ER (17). Interestingly, only the precursor NS4A/B blocked ER-to-Golgi transport (24). This is analogous to our results with FMDV where only the precursor 2BC, but not the individual products (2B or 2C), is able to block the secretory pathway.
The observation that FMDV 2BC inhibits the delivery of membrane proteins to the cell surface raises the possibility that, as seen for PV 3A (11, 13-15, 31), the 2BC protein of FMDV may also be able to modulate the recognition of infected cells by the immune system. This could include a block in the secretion of interferons and proinflammatory cytokines or the inhibition of cell surface MHC class 1 expression (38) and antigen presentation. Such effects could contribute to the development of persistent infections that are frequently seen in ruminants following an acute FMDV infection. This study should therefore stimulate further investigation of the effects of FMDV 2BC on cytokine secretion and antigen presentation and the role the protein may play during the development of persistent FMDV infections in ruminants.
This work was supported by BBSRC grants 49/C07867, 49/C14570, and 201/S14654 to Graham J. Belsham, Thomas Wileman, and Martin D. Ryan and the BBSRC bioimaging initiative 201/S11230.
K.M. and G.H. contributed equally to this work. ![]()
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