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Journal of Virology, September 2006, p. 8891-8898, Vol. 80, No. 18
0022-538X/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00781-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Akiko Nakamura,1
Robert Liddington,3 and
Harumi Kasamatsu1*
Molecular Biology Institute and Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095,1 Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Frontier Collaborative Research Center, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan,2 Burnham Institute, La Jolla, California 920373
Received 18 April 2006/ Accepted 27 June 2006
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Three sequence elements within the shared carboxy-terminal sequence have been identified and are here referred to as amino acids of Vp3. The first of these elements, residues 199 to 206, is the monopartite Vp3 nuclear localization signal (NLS), which functions in the nuclear import of newly synthesized Vp3 and in the nuclear entry of infecting particles (5, 25). This NLS interacts with the most abundant cellular NLS receptor complex, the importin
2/ß1 heterodimer (25). The second element, residues 222 to 234, or D2, binds DNA (4) and is an in vitro Vp1-interactive determinant (9). Interestingly, Vp3 from the highly related murine polyomavirus (Py) lacks this Vp1-interacting determinant and DNA binding D2 and binds Vp1 via a more internal region (Py Vp3 residues 140 to 181) (1). This internal region is highly conserved among polyomaviruses. Since the crystal structure of this internal region of Py Vp3 bound to the Py Vp1 pentamer is known (3), we have built a homology model of the SV40 Vp3 fragment (Vp3 residues 157 to 184, harboring most of the 01 residues) bound to its Vp1 pentamer (15). Whether these two sequence elements, D1 and D2, function in the in vivo Vp1-Vp3 interaction is not known.
Observations reported to date imply that Vp1 and Vp3 associate soon after their synthesis in the cytoplasm. First, although both capsid proteins harbor resident NLSs (5, 13), an NLS-defective SV40 Vp3 can localize in the nucleus if wild-type Vp1 with a functional NLS is coexpressed in the same cell (13), suggesting that Vp1 and Vp3 form a complex in the cytoplasm prior to nuclear entry. The nuclear localization of Py Vp3 is promoted by coexpression of Vp1 (8, 24, 28). Second, many SV40 temperature-sensitive mutant (ts) Vp1s remain cytoplasmic, along with the coexpressed wild-type Vp3, at the nonpermissive temperature (14). Similarly, mutant Vp1s with functional Vp1-NLSs that presumably are defective in folding remain in the cytoplasm and block the nuclear entry of wild-type Vp3 (17). Finally, regardless of the amount of capsid protein synthesized in the cytoplasm, a constant ratio of Vp1 and Vp3 that reflects the ratio in the mature virion is found in the nucleus (22), implying that, by formation of the complex, the stoichiometry of Vp1 and Vp3 in the nucleus is predetermined in the cytoplasm. Assuming that these capsid proteins interact in the cytoplasm prior to nuclear import and virion assembly, it should be feasible to identify the amino acids that direct the Vp1-Vp3 interaction. Thus, using our structural model of the D1 SV40 Vp3 fragment bound to its Vp1 pentamer, we have predicted additional interactive residues for Vp1 and Vp3. Subsequent mutagenesis of these residues shows that of the two Vp3 sequence elements, D1 (Vp3 residues 155 to 190) and D2 (Vp3 residues 222 to 234), D1 is essential for the binding of Vp1 to Vp3 in the cytoplasm, and mutations within this region affect viral viability substantially, being essential for both viral infection and propagation.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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A series of pQE16-based plasmids was constructed for expression of polyhistidine-tagged fusion proteins of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and Vp3 fragments (DHFR-Vp3 open reading frames [ORFs]) in Escherichia coli. pQE-Vp33-234, pQE-Vp3165-234, pQE-Vp3195-234, pQE-Vp3165-206, and pQE-Vp3222-234 have been described previously (24). pQE-Vp3155-190 was made by inserting a PCR fragment encoding Vp3 residues 155 to 190 followed by a stop codon into pQE-Vp3195-234 through the NotI and XhoI sites. pQE-Vp3
D1 was made by replacing the PstI-to-RsrII fragment of pQE-Vp33-234 with an analogous PCR fragment that lacks Vp3 residues 155 to 190. pQE-Vp33-221 and pQE-Vp3
D1/2 were made by introducing a stop codon after the 222nd residues of pQE-Vp33-234 and pQE-Vp3
D1, respectively, to delete the D2 region.
A series of pBS-based Vp3 plasmids was created for synthesis of Vp3-derivative proteins by in vitro transcription and translation from the T7 promoter. pBSVp3(euk) was made from pBS3-234 (25) by inserting a linker encoding the first three amino acids of Vp3 through the NotI and SalI sites and by replacing the XmaI-to-XhoI region with an analogous PCR fragment generated from nonoverlapping SV40 plasmid (NO-pSV40) SRBSM (25). pBSVp3
6-53 and pBSVp3
6-94 were made by replacing the SalI-to-AvrII fragment and SalI-to-PstI fragment of pBSVp3(euk), respectively, with a linker that deletes the coding region for Vp3 amino acids 6 to 53 and 6 to 94, respectively.
A series of Vp1 point mutations, Vp1 Val 243 to Glu (V243E), Leu245 to Glu (L245E), and Val243-L245 to Glu (V243E-L245E), was made in pBS-Vp1 by PCR-based overlap extension (12). Briefly, two PCR fragments were generated using two pairs of primers: SV40 S1909-1928 (5'-AAACTCATGAAAATGGTGCT-3') and its antisense counterpart to amplify the mutation-containing region together with upstream sequences and SV40 AS2334-2359 (5'-TCTGGGAAGTCCCTTCCACTGCTGTG-3') and its antisense counterpart to amplify the mutation-containing region together with downstream sequences, encompassing the Vp1 coding region from Lys134 to Arg284. The two overlapping PCR products were mixed and used as a template to generate PCR fragments encompassing Vp1 amino acids 161 to 252, and the resulting fragments were inserted into pBS-Vp1 (20) via the PstI and ApaI sites.
A series of pSG5-based plasmids was also created for synthesis of Vp3-derivative proteins in vitro. pSGVp3 was described previously (13). pSGVp3(euk) was made by inserting via the NotI and BglII sites the full-length Vp3 fragment of pBSVp3(euk) into a pSG5 derivative, namely, pSG5-NBX, which harbors the NotI, BamHI, and XhoI sites between the EcoRI and BglII sites of pSG5, allowing eukaryotic expression and in vitro translation of Vp3 from the dual SV40 early and T7 promoters. pSGVp31-221, pSGVp31-199, and pSGVp31-166 were generated by inserting a PCR fragment into pSGVp3(euk) via the RsrII and BglII sites that introduces a stop codon at the 222nd, 200th, and 167th Vp3 residues, respectively. pSGVp3
D1 (deleted of Vp3 amino acids 155 to 190) was constructed by sequentially ligating three fragments, the 389-bp PflMI-to-RsrII fragment of pQE-Vp3
D1, the 120-bp RsrII-to-BglII fragment of pBSVp3(euk), and the 4.3-kbp BglII-to-PflMI fragment of pSGVp31-199. pSGVp3NLS(-)
D1 and pSGVp3NLS(-)
D1/2 were made by replacing the RsrII-to-BsrG1 fragment of pSGVp3
D1, encoding the Vp3 NLS and D2 region, with a linker in which the NLS was altered (KKKRK to NNNGN) or D2 was deleted in addition to the NLS alteration. pSGVp3NLS(-) was made by replacing the Vp3 amino acid 200 to 234 coding region of pSGVp3(euk) with the analogous PCR fragment generated from pSV-Vp3Null NG (25).
Vp3 point mutations Phe157-Ile158 to Glu (F157E-I158E), Pro164-Gly165-Gly166 to Arg-Glu-Arg (P164R-G165E-G166R) or Glu-Arg-Glu (P164E-G165R-G166E), Leu177 to Glu (L177E), Leu181 to Glu (L181E), Leu177-Leu181 to Glu (L177E-L181E), and Vp3 Leu179-Leu183 to Glu (L179E-L183E) or Ala (L179A-L183A) were introduced into pSG5Vp3(euk) via overlap extension as described above for the construction of pBS-Vp1 point mutants. Using pBS-Vp1 as the template, one pair of primers, PL1 (5'-GGTATA ACT CTCTGCAGGATTACTACTCTAC-3') and its antisense counterpart, was used to amplify the mutation-containing region together with upstream sequences, and a second pair, AS 1766-1792 (5'-CAA AGG AAT TCTAGC CAC CTG TAG CA-3') and its antisense counterpart, was used to amplify the mutation-containing region and its downstream region. The two PCR fragments were mixed and served as the template to generate a longer PCR fragment encoding Vp3 amino acids 95 to 200, using PL1 and AS 1766-1792 as the primers. The resultant fragment was inserted into pSG5Vp3(euk) via the PstI and RsrII sites to make plasmids harboring corresponding mutations.
Mutagenesis to disrupt Vp1-Vp3 interaction was planned based on a model of the SV40 Vp1 pentamer bound to the Vp3 D1 fragment (see Fig. 4).
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C13 was made by replacing the RsrII-to-XbaI region with a linker containing a stop codon after the 221st codon of Vp3. Prior to use in transfection experiments, NO-pSV40 plasmids were digested with BamHI and recircularized to yield NO-SV40 viral genomes as described previously (13).
Expression, purification, and iodination of recombinant proteins and in vitro transcription/translation.
The expression and purification of glutathione S-transferase (GST), GST-Vp3, and Vp1
C58 (16) and of DHFR and the DHFR-Vp3 ORF series (25) have been described previously. The purified proteins were quantified by Coomassie blue staining following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by use of a bicinchoninic acid protein quantification kit (Pierce).
DHFR and DHFR-Vp3 ORFs were iodinated to a specific activity of 8,000 to 12,000 cpm/fmol by use of Iodobeads (Pierce), diluted to a 10-ng/µl concentration in binding buffer (see Materials and Methods for in vitro interaction assay), and clarified by centrifugation at 14,000 x g for 10 min. The soluble protein concentration was estimated by SDS-PAGE followed by phosphorimaging.
[35S]methionine-labeled Vp3 derivatives were synthesized in vitro from pBSVp3 or pSGVP3 plasmid series as templates by use of the TNT quick coupled transcription/translation system (Promega). 35S-labeled Vp1 derivatives were similarly synthesized from pBS-Vp1s. The specific activities of the 35S-labeled proteins were determined by measuring trichloroacetic acid precipitable counts per µg protein.
In vitro binding assay.
The interaction of Vp3 with Vp1 was tested by binding of radiolabeled test protein Vp1 or Vp3 to nonradiolabeled Vp3 or Vp1, respectively. The nonradiolabeled protein contains an affinity tag and can be isolated via affinity chromatography in the following manner. First, approximately 10 fmol of 35S-labeled wild-type or mutant Vp3s and 900 fmol of purified Vp1
C58(His) pentamer were mixed in 100 µl of binding buffer (20 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 0.1% Triton X-100, 0.1% sodium deoxycholate, 1 mM MgCl2, 2 mM ß-mercaptoethanol, 50 ng/ml ethidium bromide, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 10 µg/ml aprotinin, 10 µg/ml leupeptin, and 10 µg/ml pepstatin) and incubated for 30 min at room temperature. Then, 10 µl of Talon beads (Clontech) in 400 µl of binding buffer was added and the mixture was rocked for 30 min. In the second binding assay, approximately 10 fmol of 125I-labeled DHFR-Vp3s and 100 fmol of Vp1
C58 pentamer were mixed in 100 µl binding buffer and incubated for 2 h at 4°C. Fifteen microliters of protein A-Sepharose (Amersham Pharmacia), cross-linked with affinity-purified anti-Vp1 immunoglobulin Gs by use of dimethyl pimelimidate (Pierce) and pretreated with 5% skim milk blocking agent in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 10 min followed by several washes in PBS, was brought to 300 µl with binding buffer and added to the Vp1-Vp3 binding assay mixtures, which were further incubated for 2 h. For both types of assay, the resulting beads were extensively washed with binding buffer, and bead-bound proteins were eluted and denatured in SDS-sample buffer and analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by phosphorimaging. For the third type of binding assay, glutathione-Sepharose beads (Amersham Pharmacia) bound with GST or GST-Vp3 were mixed with 35S-labeled Vp1s in its in vitro translation lysate, incubated, washed extensively, and analyzed for tightly bound proteins by use of SDS-PAGE followed by fluorography as previously described (19).
Cells, microinjection, transfection, immunocytochemistry, and plaque assay. The conditions for TC-7 and CV-1 cell cultures, microinjection, and immunocytochemistry to detect the expression and subcellular localization of Vp1 or Vp3 have been described previously (25). For microinjection, at least 100 TC7 cell nuclei in the same area of the coverslip were injected with DNA solution in PBS, with either 20 pM pSGVp3s alone or 20 pM each of pSGVp3s and pSGVp1 (13), and fixed 6 h postinjection.
CV-1 cells transfected with either wild-type or mutant NO-SV40 viral DNA were lysed by sonication at 72 h posttransfection, and the lysates, adjusted to 0.5 µg/ml of viral DNA, were used for plaque formation assays via infection of CV-1 cells as described previously (20, 25). Note that the quantity of plaques described in Table 1 was determined from 2 ml of the lysate. The extent of viral DNA replication was examined by isolating episomal DNA from 1/10 of the transfected cells from one 150-mm dish by the Hirt method, digestion with DpnI, and quantitation by Southern blotting as described previously (19). The relative amounts of capsid proteins produced were determined by analyzing 1/200 (for Vp1) or 1/50 (for Vp3) of the transfected cells from one 150-mm dish by Western blotting.
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positions of the ß-sheets of the two Vp1s (the backbones can be superimposed with a root mean square deviation of
0.5 Å). The ordered region of Vp3 observed in the polyoma virus structure (residues 154 to 181) is highly conserved within SV40 Vp3 (residues 157 to 184), and the polyoma virus Vp3 side chains with library torsion angles were replaced with their SV40 counterparts by use of TURBO-FRODO. Residues Trp 175 through Tyr 184 form a hydrophobic
-helix at the base of the SV40 Vp1 pentamer. SV40 Vp3 residues Leu 177 and Leu 181 make hydrophobic contacts with Vp1 residues Val 243 and Leu 245, respectively. The SV40 Vp1-Vp3 complex was built and inspected using TURBO-FRODO (http://afmb.cnrs-mrs.fr/rubrique113.html). Figure 4 was made using RasMOL (http://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol/index.html). | RESULTS |
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C58, is the one in which the 58 carboxyl residues are replaced with a polyhistidine tag and Cys 104 and 254 have been replaced with alanines to eliminate the potential aggregation of the Vp1 pentamer (19). The abilities of 35S-labeled wild-type and mutant Vp3s to bind to the Vp1
C58 pentamer were tested by capturing the radiolabeled proteins bound to Vp1 on metal chelate beads (Fig. 1C, lower panel). In the upper panel of Fig. 1C, the amount of labeled protein used in each reaction is shown. Wild-type Vp3 bound fully to the Vp1 pentamer (Fig. 1C, lane 1), and nearly 100% of the input Vp3s were retrieved bound to Vp1. Deleting Vp3 amino-terminal residues 6 to 53 or 6 to 94 did not affect Vp1 binding (Fig. 1C, lanes 2 and 3). Deleting D2 (Fig. 1C, lane 4) or the last 35 residues of Vp3, which include the NLS and D2 (Fig. 1C, lane 5), reduced, but did not eliminate, Vp1 binding; 13% and 20% of the input proteins bound to Vp1, respectively. No Vp1 binding was detected when the last 68 residues, comprising most of D1 and all of D2, of Vp3 were deleted (Fig. 1C, lane 6). Together, these results show that both Vp3 sequence elements, D1 and D2, participate in Vp1 binding in vitro.
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C58 pentamer. Labeled Vp3s that bound Vp1 were immunoprecipitated using protein A beads cross-linked with affinity-purified anti-Vp1 antibody, resolved with SDS-PAGE, and subjected to autoradiography. Nearly full-length Vp3 (Vp33-234) (Fig. 2A, lane 1) and the truncated Vp3 containing the last 70 residues (Vp3165-234) (Fig. 2A, lane 4) bound fully to Vp1. This is expected since Vp3165-234 encompasses two-thirds of the D1 and the entire D2 sequence element. Removing the D1 sequence either via an internal deletion of the nearly full-length Vp3 (Fig. 2A, lane 2) or via deletion of 194 amino-terminal residues, leaving the last 40 residues of Vp (Vp3195-234) (Fig. 2A, lane 5), did not affect Vp1 binding. Having D2 alone in the context of the DHFR fusion protein was sufficient for binding of Vp1 (residues 222 to 234) (Fig. 2A, lane 6). The fusion protein having only two-thirds of D1 showed low Vp1 binding (residues 165 to 206) (Fig. 2A, lane 7). As expected, the protein either lacking both D1 and D2 (
D1/2) (Fig. 2A, lane 3) or having no Vp3 fragment (DHFR-His) (Fig. 2A, lane 8) exhibited little Vp1 binding. Thus, D1 and D2 are sufficient for Vp1 binding in vitro.
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D1] (Fig. 3D, panels b' and B). Thus, it is D1 that mediates the binding to Vp1 in the host cell cytoplasm. Not surprisingly, Vp3 lacking both D1 and D2, either through an internal deletion of D1 and truncation of D2 along with the defective NLS [NLS(-)
D1/D2] (Fig. 3D, panels c' and C) or through a carboxyl terminus truncation that removes D2, NLS, and two-thirds of D1 (residues 1 to 166) (Fig. 3D, panels e' and E), did not colocalize with Vp1 in the nucleus. A summary indicating the presence or absence of subcellular colocalization of mutant Vp3s with Vp1 is shown in Fig. 3E. We conclude that Vp3 D1 is essential for Vp1 interaction in vivo, whereas D2 is not.
Structure-based mutagenesis of Vp3 D1 defines residues critical for binding to Vp1 in vitro.
The mutagenesis to disrupt the Vp1-Vp3 D1 interaction was aimed at regions within the Vp3 revealed in the model of the SV40 Vp1-Vp3 complex (Fig. 4) (15). The first ordered residue of Vp3 is Phe157, which, together with Ile158, nestles into the hydrophobic neck at the top of the conical interior of the Vp1 pentamer. Alteration of Phe157 and Ile158 to glutamate is predicted to disrupt contact with Vp1 Pro231 as well as to disrupt proper positioning of the upstream Vp3 amino acids. Second, residues Pro164, Gly165, and Gly166 form a tight turn, where they pack into a crevice between the two main ß-sheets of Vp1. In addition, Pro164 and Gly165 have unusual main chain torsion angles, leading to both steric and conformational restraints. Their alteration to charged residues is also predicted to disrupt Vp1-Vp3 interaction. Third, residues Trp175 through Tyr184 form a hydrophobic
-helix at the base of the Vp1 pentamer; Vp3 residues Leu177 and Leu181 make hydrophobic contacts with Vp1 residues Val243 and Leu245, respectively. Thus, we predicted that mutating Vp3 residues Leu177 and Leu181 to glutamate or Vp1 residues Val243 and Leu245 to glutamate would disrupt Vp3-Vp1 interaction. For comparison, Vp3 Leu179 and Leu183, whose side chains point away from the Vp1 pentamer, were mutated to a charged residue or a neutral residue, glutamate or alanine.
Based on these predictions, Vp3 mutants Vp3 Phe157 and Ile158 to Glu (F157E-I158E), Vp3 Pro164-Gly165-Gly166 to Arg-Glu-Arg (P164R-G165E-G166R) or Glu-Arg-Glu (P164E-G165R-G166E), Vp3 Leu177 and Leu181 to Glu (L177E-L181E), and Vp3 Leu179 and Leu183 to Glu (L179E-L183E) or Ala (L179A-L183A) were made. The extent of the binding of input 35S-labeled mutant Vp3s (Fig. 5A, upper panel) to the Vp1
C58 pentamer (Fig. 5A, lower panel) was tested in vitro. Wild-type Vp3 fully bound to Vp1
C58 (Fig. 5A, lane 1). Mutant Vp3s F157E-I158E (Fig. 5A, lane 2), P164R-G165E-G166R (Fig. 5A, lane 3), P164E-G165R-G166E (Fig. 5A, lane 4), and L177E-L181E (Fig. 5A, lane 5) showed reduced Vp1 binding, from 13% to 20% of wild-type binding levels. The Vp1 binding of the single-point mutant Vp3s, Leu177 to Glu (L177E) and Leu181 to Glu (L181E), was also reduced (57% [Fig. 5A, lane 6] and 33% [Fig. 5A, lane 7], respectively). Mutagenesis of Leu179 and Leu183 to glutamate or alanine did not reduce Vp1 binding as much as the Leu177 and Leu181 counterparts (Fig. 5A, compare lanes 8 and 9 with lane 5). We note that the single Vp3 point mutation was sufficient to reduce Vp1 binding (Fig. 5A, lanes 2 to 5). This result is in contrast with the Vp1 binding observed for DHFR fusion Vp3 missing the D1 segment (Fig. 2A, lane 2). The significant residual Vp1 binding detected for DHFR-Vp3
D1 probably reflects the presence of the D2 segment, which also confers Vp1 binding, in the fusion protein (Fig. 2A, lanes 3, 5, and 6). The simplest interpretation is that D2 assumes a different local structure in the fusion protein than in the context of Vp3, leading to the observed difference in intensity of Vp1 binding.
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In summary, our targeted mutagenesis of Vp1 and Vp3D1 identified amino acids that mediate their interaction in vitro. They are Vp3 residues Phe157-Ile158, Pro164-Gly165-Gly166, and Leu 177-Leu 181 and Vp1 residues Val 243 and Leu 245. The alterations of these residues to bulky, charged residues blocked or reduced interaction between Vp1 and Vp3 in vitro.
Viability of mutants. We next examined the mutants' overall viability. The point mutants described above were introduced into the viable nonoverlapping SV40 viral genome, NO-SV40 (25), and the mutants were tested for their abilities to express viral capsid proteins (Fig. 6) and their overall viability by plaque assay (Table 1). The mutant DNA was transfected into CV-1 cells and examined, first, for Vp1 expression by Western blotting (Fig. 6A, lanes 2 to 4 [Vp3 mutants] and 10 to 12 [Vp1 mutants]). The cell lysates of the Vp3 mutants, F157E-I158E (Fig. 6A, lane 2), P164R-G165E-G166R (Fig. 6A, lane 3), and P164E-G165R-G166E (Fig. 6A, lane 4), and the Vp1 mutants, V243E (Fig. 6A, lane 10), L245E (Fig. 6A, lane 11), and V243E-L245E (Fig. 6A, lane 12), contained normal levels of Vp1, equivalent to that seen in the wild-type lysate (Fig. 6A, lane 1). The subcellular localization of the mutant capsid proteins showed normal nuclear distribution (Fig. 6B). In contrast, the cells transfected with L177E (Fig. 6A, lane 6) had slightly less Vp1, and mutants L177E-L181E (Fig. 6A, lane 5), L181E (Fig. 6A, lane 7), L179E-L183E (Fig. 6A, lane 8), and L179A-L183A (Fig. 6A, lane 9) produced very little Vp1. The mutant Vp3s were found in the nucleus, though showing punctate nuclear staining to various degrees (Fig. 6B). Little wild-type Vp1 was detected and localized to the nucleus in respective mutant-transfected cells (Fig. 6B). The alterations of the Vp3 coding region in these mutants, thus, show pleiotropic effects, and the viabilities of the mutants were not examined further. The viabilities of the mutants expressing wild-type levels of both Vps (Fig. 6A, B, and C) and of DNA replication (Fig. 6C, lanes 1 to 7) were examined.
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| DISCUSSION |
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Surprisingly, D2 was not essential in vivo as the mutant Vp3 without D2 and, without a resident Vp3-NLS, entered the nucleus piggybacked by wild-type Vp1 (Fig. 3D). In addition, it is significant that the mutant lacking D2 was quite viable (Table 1). D2 has been shown to be the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of both proteins, Vp3-DBD (6), and has been suggested to play a role in selective packaging of the viral genome during capsid formation (11). In view of our new result, that D2 was readily dispensable for infectivity, our previous conclusion that Vp3-DBD plays an essential role in infection (6) needs be reevaluated. The Vp3 mutations which were reported previously are in overlapping SV40 genomes and introduce nucleotide alterations in both genes, whereas the Vp3 mutants described here that make little Vp1 (Fig. 6), namely, Vp3 substitution mutations L177E, L181E, L179E-L183E, and L179A-L183A, are in nonoverlapping viral genomes that carry an unmodified coding sequence for wild-type Vp1. Therefore, the trans-dominant effect on Vp1 observed for these Vp3 point mutants must be due to alteration of the Vp3 coding sequence, for example, by inhibition of the splicing of the primary transcript.
Our focus in this study was aimed at identifying amino acids common to both Vp2 and Vp3 that direct the in vivo Vp1 interaction. The Vp2 amino-terminal glycine of both Py and SV40 is myristoylated (16), and this modification contributes to viral propagation (27). Yet, some mutants defective in myristoylation are viable (23). Moreover, both Py-Vp2 and Py-Vp3 bind to the Py-Vp1 pentamer in vitro to a similar extent (7), suggesting that the unique region of Vp2 has a minor role in binding to the Vp1 pentamer. The possibility that the unique region of Vp2 plays an additional role in the interaction of minor capsid proteins with Vp1 during infection, however, is not ruled out.
The interaction of Vp1 with Vp2 and Vp3 occurs soon after their synthesis in the cytoplasm (22). The formation of the complexes in the cytoplasm before nuclear entry maintains the proper stoichiometry of Vp1, Vp2, and Vp3 in the nucleus, thereby facilitating efficient virion assembly (22). On the other hand, it has been reported that Py-Vp1 alone, when expressed in insect cells, can localize into the nucleus, package cellular DNA, and form capsid (10, 24). Thus, it appears that the major capsid protein alone can direct particle formation. Whether such particles can package viral minichromosomes, however, is not known. In papillomavirus infection, the minor capsid protein L2 plays a role in genome packaging (26, 29, 32). As Vp3-NLS functions in the nuclear entry of the infecting SV40 (25), its incorporation into particles is likely key to the formation of infectious virus. As it is not known where the mutants' defect that leads to the reduction in viability lies, the viabilities of the mutants were tested by plaque assay with total cell lysates. A lack of Vp3 incorporation in the mutant particles or of particle assembly itself could account for the reduction in viability.
Conformational changes in polyomavirus capsids are expected to occur to expose signals important for productive infectionfor cell binding, cell entry, and nuclear entry of the viral genome. Little is known about how individual signals become precisely exposed on the capsids. We have postulated a role for Vp1 amino acids that coordinate binding of two calcium ions per Vp1 monomer in cell entry and nuclear entry and have presented evidence for a role for the site 1 calcium-binding amino acids of the capsid in cell entry (18). The reported results imply that the structural alterations occur at the base of the Vp1 pentamer. Cavaldesi et al. have shown the structural changes in murine polyomavirus capsids following sialic acid binding (2). They have postulated that binding of the sialic acid moiety on the host cell membrane leads to the subsequent structural changes in minor capsid proteins (2). At present, how each of the three capsid proteins, Vp1, Vp2, and Vp3, functions in infection is not known. Further analyses of the mutants described here could identify separate roles for individual capsid proteins in the viral life cycle.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This work was supported by public health service grant CA50574 and by a grant from the UCLA Academic Senate.
| FOOTNOTES |
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Present address: National Institute for Longevity Sciences, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi 474-8522, Japan. ![]()
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