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Journal of Virology, May 2007, p. 5423-5426, Vol. 81, No. 10
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.02307-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Accessory Protein 6 Is a Virion-Associated Protein and Is Released from 6 Protein-Expressing Cells
Cheng Huang,1
C. J. Peters,1,2 and
Shinji Makino1*
Departments of Microbiology and Immunology,1
Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas 77555-10192
Received 20 October 2006/
Accepted 23 February 2007

ABSTRACT
Analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV)
by either sucrose gradient equilibrium centrifugation or a virus
capture assay using an anti-SCoV S protein antibody demonstrated
that the SCoV 6 protein, which is one of the accessory proteins
of SCoV, was incorporated into virus particles. Coexpression
of the SCoV S, M, E, and 6 proteins was sufficient for incorporation
of the 6 protein into virus-like particles. Cells transfected
with plasmid expressing the 6 protein released SCoV 6 protein;
however, infected cells released SCoV 6 protein only in association
with SCoV particles.

TEXT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV) is known
to be the causative agent of the global severe acute respiratory
syndrome epidemic occurring during 2002 and 2003 (
1,
8,
9).
The 3' one-third of the SCoV genome encodes the spike (S), membrane
(M), and envelope (E) proteins (all of which are envelope proteins);
the N protein (which forms a helical nucleocapsid with the genomic
RNA); and the eight accessory proteins 3a, 3b, 6, 7a, 7b, 8a,
8b, and 9b (
10,
15,
19). Expression studies have uncovered some
of the biological activities of these accessory proteins (
20),
and yet their functions in infected cells and hosts are largely
unexplored. SCoV accessory proteins are dispensable for SCoV
replication in cultured cells (
20,
21), and the 3a, 7a, and
7b proteins are incorporated into virus particles (
4,
6,
16,
17).
The 63-amino-acid SCoV 6 protein is a membrane protein that is present mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi compartments (3, 14) proximal to the virus assembly site. Past studies showed that SCoV lacking the gene encoding the 6 protein is viable (21), and a murine coronavirus expressing SCoV 6 protein has increased virulence in mice (14). The latter observation may be related to a finding that SCoV 6 protein expression accelerates murine coronavirus replication (18). Furthermore, an expression study demonstrated that the SCoV 6 protein, like the SCoV 3b and N proteins, is an interferon antagonist (7), while further studies are needed to establish the biological functions of the 6 protein in SCoV-infected cells.
To determine whether the SCoV 6 protein is a virion-associated protein, we investigated the presence of the 6 protein in the purified SCoV particles. Supernatants harvested from SCoV-infected Caco2 cells were irradiated with 2 x 106 rads from a Gammacell 60Co source (model 109A; J. L. Shepherd and Associates, San Fernando, CA) and clarified by low-speed centrifugation and filtration through a 0.45-µm syringe filter. Then, SCoV was purified by ultracentrifugation on a 20 to 60% continuous sucrose gradient at 26,000 rpm for 18 h using a Beckman SW28 rotor (4, 5). Twelve fractions, each consisting of 1 ml, were collected, and each was examined on Western blots using antibodies against the S, M, N, and 6 proteins (Fig. 1). The rabbit anti-SCoV 6 protein peptide antibody was prepared by immunizing rabbits with the synthetic peptide N-ELDDEEPMELDY, corresponding to amino acids 51 to 62 of the 6 protein. Commercially available anti-S antibody (IGM-541; IMGENEX) and anti-SCoV M antibody (AP6008b; Abgent) were used. Mouse anti-N serum was provided by Xiao-Hua Li at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. In agreement with our previous studies (4, 5), the strongest signals for the S, N, and M proteins were detected in fractions 5 and 6 (Fig. 1), showing that the buoyant density of SCoV was between 1.18 and 1.20 g/ml. Most of the 6 protein signal was present in fraction 6, strongly suggesting the association of the 6 protein with virions.
The presence of the 6 protein in virions was further confirmed
using a virus capture assay (
4,
5). Clarified virus samples
were partially purified by centrifugation through 20% sucrose
cushions at 26,000 rpm for 3 h in a Beckman SW28 rotor, followed
by immunoprecipitation with mouse monoclonal anti-SCoV S protein
antibody (NR-617; NIH Biodefense and Emerging Infections Research
Resources Repository) or with an unrelated mouse monoclonal
anti-H2K antibody in the absence of detergent (
11,
12). We collected
the pelleted SCoV particles, the immunoprecipitated samples,
and the supernatant from the samples after initial anti-SCoV
S protein antibody-mediated precipitation (virus capture assay
supernatant). About 10% of the pelleted sample (Fig.
2A, lane
1), ca. 10% of the immunoprecipitated samples (Fig.
2A, lanes
2 and 3), and 3.3% of the virus capture assay supernatant (Fig.
2A, lane 4) were applied to the gel electrophoresis. Western
blot analysis demonstrated that both the 6 and the M proteins
were present in the virions immunoprecipitated by anti-S antibody
(Fig.
2A, lane 3) and showed that neither the 6 protein nor
the M protein was detected in samples immunoprecipitated by
the anti-H2K antibody (Fig.
2A, lane 2). Furthermore, no 6 or
M protein was detected in the supernatants of the immunoprecipitated
samples (Fig.
2A, lane 4), even after longer exposure of the
gel (data not shown), demonstrating that viral particles were
efficiently captured by this assay and that most 6 protein was
associated with virions. To firmly establish the presence of
SCoV 6 protein in the SCoV particle, we performed a virus capture
assay using highly purified SCoV particles. SCoV was purified
by a 20 to 60% sucrose gradient as described above (Fig.
2B),
and the purified SCoV in fraction 5 and that in fraction 6 were
separately subjected to the virus capture assay. Western blot
analysis showed the presence of the M and 6 proteins in the
pelleted samples (Fig.
2C, lanes Input) as well as in the samples
obtained after the virus capture assay (Fig.
2C, lanes IP).
We found that monoclonal anti-SCoV S protein antibody failed
to immunoprecipitate 6 protein in the extracts of 6 protein-expressing
cells (data not shown), demonstrating that there was no cross-reactivity
between the anti-SCoV S protein antibody and the 6 protein.
Taken together, these studies convincingly showed that the SCoV
6 protein was incorporated into viral particles. The stoichiometry
of the 6 protein in SCoV particles has not been determined.
We next tested whether the SCoV 6 protein was released from
6 protein-expressing cells. Cultures of 293T cells were transfected
with the control, pCAGGS plasmid, or pCAGGS-6 plasmid expressing
the 6 protein. At 48 h posttransfection, culture media were
collected and clarified, and the released materials were pelleted
through a 20% sucrose cushion (
5). Western blot analysis of
the pellet demonstrated that the 6 protein was released into
the culture media (Fig.
3A). Release of the 6 protein was not
cell type dependent, as it was also released from Vero E6 cells
(data not shown). Actin was not detected in the supernatants
of transfected cells, suggesting that the observed release of
the 6 protein was unlikely due to compromised cellular membrane
integrity or contamination with cell debris. Although the released
6 protein exhibited a broad buoyant density of approximately
1.12 to 1.21 g/ml, the peak of the 6 protein signal was found
in fractions 6, 7, and 8, with a density of approximately 1.14
to 1.19 g/ml (Fig.
3B). As the 6 protein is a membrane protein
(
3,
14), it was probably released as a membrane-associated form
when expressed alone.
A plasmid-based, SCoV virus-like particle (VLP)-producing system
(
4) was used to learn which other SCoV proteins were required
for incorporation of the 6 protein into VLPs. Cultures of 293T
cells were cotransfected with pCAGGS-based plasmids expressing
the SCoV S, M, E, and 6 proteins. Released VLPs were purified
by using the virus capture assay to exclude non-VLP-associated
6 protein that was also present in the sample. Western blot
analysis of the captured VLPs showed the presence of the 6 protein
in the VLPs (Fig.
4), demonstrating that the S, M, and E proteins
were sufficient for the assembly of the 6 protein into VLPs.
Because we could not clearly separate the VLPs from the released
6 protein by using sucrose gradient centrifugation (data not
shown) and because the virus capture assay relied on the presence
of S protein in the VLPs, we were unable to determine whether
S protein was required for incorporation of the 6 protein into
VLPs.
The association of the 6 protein with SCoV particles was tested
using sucrose gradient purification of SCoV particles and the
more stringent virus capture assay. Initial sucrose gradient
centrifugation analysis of SCoV demonstrated cosedimentation
of the 6 protein with the S, N, and M proteins, suggesting the
association of the 6 protein with SCoV particles. We noted that
the abundances of the M and N proteins were similar in fractions
5 and 6, while the SCoV 6 signal in fraction 6 was stronger
than that in fraction 5 (Fig.
1). These data may indicate that
the abundance of the 6 protein differed among each SCoV particle.
A very weak 6 protein signal was detected in the sucrose fractions
containing less than 1.18 g/ml of sucrose (Fig.
1), suggesting
that a majority of the 6 protein was more likely released in
association with SCoV particles from infected cells. The virus
capture assay clearly supported this notion; we did not detect
any amounts of the 6 protein that were not associated with SCoV
particles (Fig.
2A, lane 4), yet we detected the presence of
6 protein in the gradient-purified SCoV particles (Fig.
2B and C).
The virus capture assay efficiently excludes various cellular
contaminants from the samples and allows preparation of highly
purified virions from virally infected cells developing cytopathic
effects; this assay is used to demonstrate the specific incorporation
of viral RNA and proteins into coronavirus particles (
2) and
host proteins into retrovirus particles (
13). VLP incorporation
of the 6 protein also supported the data that suggested that
the SCoV 6 protein was virion associated. These data highlight
how unlikely the possibility is that the bulk of the SCoV 6
protein in SCoV-infected cell culture media was merely a part
of the cellular debris; rather, it was part of the virion. Because
those experiments using SCoV were performed after irradiation
of samples with
60Co, one might suspect that irradiation of
the samples may have artificially caused an association of SCoV
particles with released 6 protein, which was not incorporated
into SCoV particles. However, this possibility is highly unlikely,
because nearly all of the released 6 protein must have artificially
bound to SCoV particles by irradiation to generate the data
shown in Fig.
1 and
2. In summary, sucrose gradient purification
of SCoV particles and the virus capture assay both convincingly
pointed to the possibility that most of the 6 protein was released
in association with SCoV particles from SCoV-infected cells.
The present study and past studies revealed that SCoV accessory proteins 3a, 6, 7b, and 7a are incorporated into SCoV particles (4, 6, 16, 17), although these accessory proteins are secreted from infected cells and from expressing cells in different ways. The 3a protein is released from both SCoV-infected cells and 3a-expressing cells (5). The 7a protein is not released from infected cells or from 7a-expressing cells (4, 5). The 7b protein is not released from 7b-expressing cells (16), while release of 7b protein from infected cells has not been examined yet. The 6 protein was released from 6 protein-expressing cells (Fig. 3), and yet sucrose gradient purification of SCoV (Fig. 1) and the virus capture assay (Fig. 2) both suggested that, unlike the 3a protein, the 6 protein alone was not released from SCoV-infected cells. We speculate that some viral envelope proteins may interact with the 6 protein, thereby preventing its release and mediating its incorporation into SCoV particles in infected cells.
The report that an attenuated murine coronavirus expressing the SCoV 6 protein exhibits an enhanced virulence in mice (14) and promotes murine coronavirus replication in infected cells (18) points to the possible involvement of the 6 protein in SCoV pathogenesis and replication. A recent expression study reported that the SCoV 6 protein is an interferon antagonist (7). How the 6 protein affects SCoV virulence is unclear, yet the present study and reports by others (7, 14, 18) suggest that the incoming virion-associated 6 protein may alter the cellular environment to facilitate SCoV replication early in infection and inhibits host innate immune functions. Also, the 6 protein may play some role in virus assembly, release, stability, or infectivity or other aspects of pathogenesis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Chien-Te K. Tseng and Eric Mossel for preparation of
inactivated virus samples.
This work was supported by Public Health Service grant AI29984 to S.M. and contract N01-AI25489 from the National Institutes of Health. C.H. was supported by the James W. McLaughlin Fellowship Fund.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77555-1019. Phone: (409) 772-2323. Fax: (409) 772-5065. E-mail:
shmakino{at}utmb.edu 
Published ahead of print on 7 March 2007. 

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Journal of Virology, May 2007, p. 5423-5426, Vol. 81, No. 10
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.02307-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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