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Journal of Virology, March 2007, p. 2584-2591, Vol. 81, No. 6
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01921-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Plant-Microbe Interactions Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba 305-8602, Japan,1 Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan,2 Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan,3 CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 322-0012, Japan4
Received 4 September 2006/ Accepted 5 November 2006
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For Brome mosaic virus (BMV), one of the most well-characterized positive-strand RNA viruses, it was demonstrated that the viral helicase-like 1a replication protein recruits replication template RNA and the viral 2a polymerase protein to the cytoplasmic surface of the endoplasmic reticulum membranes to form the replication complex (4, 30). Genetic and other analyses using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that template recruitment by BMV 1a requires the host Lsm1p-7p/Pat1p/Dhh1p complex, which is involved in deadenylation-dependent mRNA decapping (6, 21). The initiation of BMV negative-strand RNA synthesis requires a cochaperone, Ydj1p (33), and depends on membrane lipid composition controlled by the
9 fatty acid desaturase Ole1p (18). For tombusviruses, other well-characterized positive-strand RNA viruses, it was shown that the p33 replication protein interacts with the p92 polymerase protein and replication template RNA (27-29). It was suggested that a complex containing p33, p92, and template RNA is targeted to the peroxisomal membranes, where the replication complexes are formed (27). The initiation of tombusvirus ()RNA synthesis requires the molecular chaperone Hsp70 (31). Even for these viruses, however, details of replication complex formation have not been revealed.
Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) is a positive-strand RNA virus that belongs to the genus Tobamovirus, which also includes Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The genome of ToMV is a nonsegmented RNA of 6,384 nucleotides with a 7-methylguanosine cap at the 5' terminus and a tRNA-like structure at the 3' terminus. The ToMV genome encodes at least four proteins, of 130 kDa (130K protein), 180 kDa (180K protein), 30 kDa, and 17 kDa (coat protein). The 180K protein is synthesized by suppression of the termination codon of the 130K protein open reading frame (ORF) (3, 14, 24). Among these four ToMV-coded proteins, only the 180K protein is necessary for viral RNA replication; the remaining three proteins are dispensable for replication. However, replacement of the termination codon of the 130K protein ORF with a tyrosine or phenylalanine codon, which results in the inhibition of 130K protein production, reduces the efficiency of viral RNA replication. Thus, balanced synthesis of the 130K and 180K proteins is necessary for efficient RNA replication (3, 11, 12, 14, 20). In keeping with the involvement of the 130K and 180K proteins in RNA replication, these proteins contain the methyltransferase-like and helicase-like domains, as well as the C-terminal, 180K protein-specific region that harbors the polymerase-like domain (2, 16). The ToMV 130K and 180K proteins do not have stretches of amino acid sequence that are predicted to serve as membrane-spanning regions. Nevertheless, in ToMV-infected cells, the activity of ToMV-related RNA synthesis is exclusively associated with membranes, and a fraction of the 130K and 180K protein pool is associated with membranes (9, 23). Several lines of observation suggest that the 130K and 180K replication proteins acquire the ability to synthesize ToMV-related RNA only after multiple interactions with host membranes and proteins, with ToMV RNA, and with themselves (7, 8, 22, 23, 25, 26, 34-37).
Previously, we found that extracts of evacuolated tobacco BY-2 protoplasts (BYL) were able to translate ToMV RNA to produce the 130K and 180K proteins, and when ribonucleoside triphosphates (rNTPs) were added to the mixture after translation, the ToMV (-)RNAs and (+)RNAs were synthesized in a pattern similar to that observed in vivo (15). BYL contains membranes on which the ToMV RNA replication complex is formed. In the present study, we examined membrane requirements for ToMV RNA replication in BYL and identified a ribonucleoprotein intermediate of ToMV RNA replication complex formation by following the translation of ToMV RNA in membrane-depleted BYL.
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TLW3 RNA was synthesized from SmaI-linearized pTLW3(Sma). The pTLW3(Sma) plasmid was constructed by deleting the 3'-terminal A residue of the ToMV RNA sequence and the following 17-nucleotide polylinker sequence of the wild-type, full-length ToMV cDNA clone pTLW3 (17). The nucleotide sequence of pTLW3(Sma) around the 3'-terminal region of ToMV RNA is as follows: 5'-GGCCCGGGAATTC-3' (ToMV RNA-derived nucleotides are shown in bold letters, the C residue that corresponds to the second nucleotide from the 3' terminus of ToMV RNA is underlined, and the SmaI recognition sequence is italicized). Capped in vitro transcript synthesized from SmaI-linearized pTLW3(Sma) was infectious for plants and showed similar or slightly higher efficiency of in vitro replication in BYL, compared to the corresponding transcript from MluI-linearlized pTLW3.
TL180SF RNA was synthesized from SmaI-linearized pTL180SF, a derivative of pTLW3(Sma) that encodes a FLAG-tagged 180K protein. The nucleotide sequence between the last codon (underlined) of the 180K protein-coding region and the BstEII site (italicized) located in the coat protein coding region is as follows: 5'-TGTGGAGAGCTCGGAGGTGATTATAAGGATGATGATGATAAGAACTGGTCACATCCTCAATTTGAAAAGTGAGGTAACC-3' (the termination codon for the 180K-FLAG ORF is indicated by bold letters).
TL180 RNA, which expresses the 180K protein but not the 130K protein, was synthesized from MluI-linearized pTL180. The pTL180 plasmid is a derivative of pTLW3, in which the NheI-KpnI fragment that contains the termination codon of the 130K protein ORF has been replaced with the corresponding fragment from pLFR2 (11).
TL130 RNA and D1 RNA are ToMV RNA derivatives that were synthesized from PCR fragments amplified using modified pTLW3 DNA templates and the following primers: 5'-CGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACGAC-3', which corresponds to a region upstream of the T7 promoter, and 5'-TGGGCCCCAACCGGGGGTTC-3', which anneals to the 3'-terminal region of the ToMV RNA sequence (nucleotides 6384 to 6361). TL130 RNA has a deletion of nucleotides 3424 to 5798, and D1 RNA has a deletion of nucleotides 1346 to 5655.
Rluc RNA was synthesized from EcoRI-linearized pMI27 (5).
In vitro translation and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) reaction in BYL. The cell extract of evacuolated BY-2 protoplasts was prepared as described previously (15), using a modified TR buffer (30 mM HEPES-KOH [pH 7.4], 80 mM potassium acetate, 1.8 mM magnesium acetate, 2 mM dithiothreitol, with one tablet of Complete Mini protease inhibitor cocktail, EDTA free [Roche], added to 10 ml of TR buffer before use) (10). The modified TR buffer was used in place of the original TR buffer throughout the experiments. To prepare membrane-depleted BYL (mdBYL), BYL (200 µl) was subjected to centrifugation at 30,000 x g for 15 min at 4°C in a Beckman TLA 100.3 rotor, and the supernatant (180 µl) was recovered. The pellet was resuspended in the residual 20 µl of supernatant to give the p30BYL membrane suspension. In vitro translation of ToMV-related and other RNAs using BYL was performed at 25°C for 1 h as described previously (10, 15). In vitro translation was also performed under the same conditions using mdBYL in place of BYL. The RdRP reaction was performed by adding 5 µl of 5x R buffer (10, 15) to 20 µl of each test sample and then incubating the mixture at 25°C for 1 h.
Sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis. A linear sucrose gradient was formed using 1.1 ml each of 15% and 40% (wt/vol) sucrose solutions (in 30 mM HEPES-KOH [pH 7.4], 80 mM potassium acetate, 1.8 mM EDTA, 2 mM dithiothreitol) using Gradient Mate (BioComp Instruments, Inc., Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) at an angle of 85° at 20 rpm for 1 min. Two hundred microliters of samples were loaded onto the sucrose gradient and subjected to centrifugation (100,000 x g for 2 h at 4°C) in a Beckman TLS-55 rotor.
Protein and RNA analyses. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and Western analyses of protein samples were performed as described previously (9). Total RNA samples were purified and analyzed by 8 M urea-2.4% PAGE (15) or Northern blotting and hybridization as described previously (13). To detect ToMV ()RNA, RNA samples were treated with S1 nuclease and subjected to the RNase protection assay using 32P-labeled P2P RNA as the probe, as described previously (15). S1 nuclease treatment was performed as described previously (15).
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FIG. 1. ToMV ()RNA synthesis is dependent upon membranes in the BYL translation-replication system. ToMV RNA (1 µg)-translated (lanes 2, 4, and 6) or mock-translated (lanes 1, 3, and 5) BYL (lanes 1 and 2) or mdBYL (lanes 3 to 6) reaction mixtures (50 µl) were mixed with puromycin (0.2 mM in the resulting mixtures from 10 mM stock solution) and either the P30BYL membrane suspension (lanes 5 and 6) or mdBYL (lanes 1 to 4) (1/20 volume of the resulting mixtures), and incubation was performed at 15°C for 1 h. After this incubation period, an aliquot of each sample was removed for protein analysis for panel A, and the remainder was subjected to the RdRP reaction for panels B and C. (A) Presence of ToMV 130K and 180K replication proteins. Samples were analyzed by the Western blotting method using anti-130K and -180K protein antibody. The positions of the 130K and 180K proteins are indicated to the right. (B) ToMV RdRP activity. The RdRP reaction was carried out in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. RNA products were separated by 8 M urea-2.4% PAGE, and 32P-labeled bands were detected by autoradiography. The positions that correspond to ToMV genomic RNA (G), replicative-form RNA (RF), and the subgenomic RNA for the coat protein (CPsg) are indicated to the right. (C) Accumulation of ToMV ()RNA. RdRP reactions were performed in the presence of 1 mM of unlabeled CTP. ToMV ()RNA was detected by the RNase protection method using the 32P-labeled P2P RNA probe (12). Protected RNAs were separated by 8 M urea-3% PAGE and detected by autoradiography.
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The P100 fraction of ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL contains components essential for the formation of ToMV RNA replication complex on membranes. To investigate the molecular basis for the ability to form RNA replication complexes when mixed with P30BYL membranes, as observed for ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL, we first fractionated ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL by centrifugation at 100,000 x g. ToMV 130K and 180K proteins were recovered both in the pellet fraction (mdP100[ToMV]) and in the supernatant fraction (mdS100[ToMV]) (Fig. 2A). When the fractions were incubated with P30BYL membranes, followed by the RdRP reaction, the mdP100[ToMV] fraction but not the mdS100[ToMV] fraction was able to synthesize ToMV-related RNAs (data not shown). To examine whether the inability of the replication proteins in the mdS100[ToMV] fraction to support ToMV RNA replication was caused by the lack of ToMV RNA or other host factors that fractionated only into the mdP100[ToMV] fraction, we mixed the mdS100 and mdP100 fractions either from ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL or mock-translated mdBYL (mdS100[mock] and mdP100[mock] fractions, respectively) in all possible combinations. To these mixtures, we added puromycin with or without additional ToMV RNA and performed the RdRP reaction following incubation with P30BYL membranes. As shown in Fig. 2B, the reaction mixtures that contained the mdP100[ToMV] fraction gave synthesis of ToMV-related RNAs, irrespective of the types of mdS100 or the addition of exogenous ToMV RNA (lanes 3, 4, 7, and 8). These results indicate that the mdP100[ToMV] fraction contains ToMV RNA, which serves as an endogenous template for replication, as well as the replication proteins, which are capable of forming the active RNA replication complex on membranes. In contrast, although the mdS100[ToMV] fraction contained substantial amounts of the replication proteins, this fraction was incapable of synthesizing ToMV-related RNAs even when ToMV RNA, the mdP100[mock] fraction, and P30BYL membranes were supplied (Fig. 2B, lanes 1, 2, 5, and 6).
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FIG. 2. The P100 fraction but not the S100 fraction of ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL is able to synthesize ToMV-related RNAs after the addition of P30BYL membranes. ToMV RNA (4 µg)-translated and mock-translated mdBYL reaction mixtures (200 µl) were centrifuged at 100,000 x g for 30 min at 4°C in a Beckman TLA 100.3 rotor. After centrifugation, 160 µl of supernatants were recovered as the mdS100[ToMV] and mdS100[mock] fractions, and the pellets were resuspended in the residual supernatants (40 µl) to give the mdP100[ToMV] and mdP100[mock] fractions, respectively. The mdS100[ToMV] or mdS100[mock] fraction was mixed with a 1/16 volume of the mdP100[ToMV] or mdP100[mock] fraction in all possible combinations. To each mixture, puromycin (0.2 mM in the resulting mixture) with or without additional ToMV RNA (20 µg/ml in the resulting mixture from 1 mg/ml stock solution) was added, and incubation was performed at 25°C for 30 min. Then, the P30BYL membrane suspension (1/20 volume of the resulting mixture) was added to each reaction mixture, and incubation was performed at 15°C for 1 h. After this incubation period, an aliquot of each sample was removed for protein analysis for panel A, and the remainder was subjected to the RdRP reaction for panel B. (A) Presence of the ToMV 130K and 180K replication proteins. (B) ToMV RdRP activity. The RdRP reaction was performed in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. ToMV replication proteins and RdRP reaction products were analyzed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. For abbreviations, see the legend to Fig. 1.
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FIG. 3. Fractionation of ToMV RNA-translated mdBYL by sedimentation in a sucrose gradient. A ToMV RNA (4 µg)-translated mdBYL reaction mixture (200 µl) was mixed with puromycin (0.2 mM in the resulting mixture) and incubated at 25°C for 10 min. This reaction mixture (200 µl) was loaded onto the 15 to 40% sucrose gradient and subjected to centrifugation. The gradient was manually fractionated into 10 fractions (220 µl per fraction; fractions 1 to 10, from top to bottom of the gradient). RNA and protein samples were prepared from these fractions and analyzed for panels A and B, respectively. In addition, each fraction was mixed with creatine phosphate (30 mM in the resulting mixtures from 1 M stock solution), creatine kinase (0.2 mg/ml in the resulting mixtures from a 10-mg/ml stock solution), ATP (0.75 mM in the resulting mixtures from 37.5 mM stock solution), and the P30BYL membrane suspension (1/20 volume of the resulting mixtures), and incubation was performed at 15°C for 1 h. After the incubation, 20 µl of each mixture was subjected to the RdRP reaction for panel C. (A) Presence of ToMV RNA. ToMV RNA was detected by Northern blot hybridization using a 32P-labeled P1M RNA probe (12). RNAs were denatured with glyoxal and separated in a 1% agarose gel. (B) Presence of ToMV replication proteins. The analysis was performed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. (C) ToMV RdRP activity. The RdRP reaction was performed in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. RdRP reaction products were analyzed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. For abbreviations, see the legend to Fig. 1.
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FIG. 4. Affinity purification of the FLAG-tagged 180K replication protein from the TL180SF RNA-translated mdP100 fraction. (A) Schematic representation of TLW3 and TL180SF RNAs. (B to D) TLW3 RNA (12 µg)-translated (W3, lanes 1 and 3) or TL180SF RNA (12 µg)-translated (180SF, lanes 2 and 4) mdBYL reaction mixtures (600 µl each) were centrifuged at 100,000 x g for 30 min at 4°C in a Beckman TLA 100.3 rotor, followed by removal of 480 µl of the supernatants. The pellets were suspended in the residual supernatants (120 µl) (mdP100[TLW3] and mdP100[TL180SF] fractions). One hundred microliters of the mdP100[TLW3] or mdP100[TL180SF] fraction was each mixed with 20 µl of ANTI-FLAG M2 affinity gel (50% suspension; Sigma) and incubated at 4°C for 3 h with occasional shaking. The gels were washed five times with wash buffer (30 mM HEPES-KOH [pH 7.4], 80 mM potassium acetate, 1 mM EDTA) and then eluted in 30 µl of wash buffer that contained 100 µg/ml FLAG peptide (Sigma). The washing and elution steps were performed at 4°C. The mdP100[TLW3] and mdP100[TL180SF] fractions (input; lanes 1 and 2) and the FLAG-purified fractions (elution; lanes 3 and 4) were analyzed for the presence of ToMV RNA for panel B by Northern blotting and hybridization, as described in the legend to Fig. 3, and for the presence of the 130K and 180K proteins for panel C by the Western blotting method, as described in the legend to Fig. 1. For panel D, the mdP100[TLW3] and mdP100[TL180SF] fractions diluted fivefold with wash buffer (input; lanes 1 and 2) and the FLAG-purified fractions (elution; lanes 3 and 4) were each mixed with puromycin (0.2 mM in the resulting mixtures), creatine phosphate (30 mM in the resulting mixtures), creatine kinase (0.2 mg/ml in the resulting mixtures), ATP (0.75 mM in the resulting mixtures), and the P30BYL membrane suspension (1/20 volume of the resulting mixtures), and incubation was performed at 15°C for 1 h. After this incubation period, 20 µl of each mixture was subjected to the RdRP reaction in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. RdRP reaction products were analyzed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. The positions corresponding to the 130K and 180K proteins, genomic RNAs (G), and replicative-form RNAs (RF) of TLW3 and TL180SF are indicated to the right. The asterisk indicates unidentified background signals.
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The 180K protein in the mdS100[TL180] fraction participates in replication of TL130 RNA in the mdP100[TL130] fraction. To gain further insights into the assembly of the PMTC, we constructed the ToMV RNA derivatives TL130 and TL180. TL130 has a large deletion in the read-through region of the 180K protein, 30-kDa protein, and coat protein coding regions and expresses the 130K protein alone (Fig. 5A). TL180 is a derivative of TLW3 that has a point mutation that alters the termination codon of the 130K protein ORF to the tyrosine codon and expresses the 180K protein but not the 130K protein (Fig. 5A). TL180 RNA could replicate by itself, albeit at a lower efficiency than wild-type TLW3 RNA, while 180K protein-deficient ToMV derivatives could not replicate by themselves in BY-2 cells (11, 12; data not shown).
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FIG. 5. In vitro replication of TL130 and TL180 RNAs. (A) Schematic representation of TL180 and TL130 RNAs. (B to D) TL130 or TL180 RNA (4 µg each)-translated and mock-translated mdBYL reaction mixtures (100 µl each) were centrifuged at 100,000 x g for 30 min at 4°C in a Beckman TLA 100.3 rotor. After centrifugation, 80 µl of each supernatant was recovered as the mdS100[TL130] (130), mdS100[TL180] (180), or mdS100[mock] (m) fraction. The pellets were resuspended in residual supernatant (20 µl each) to give the mdP100[TL130] (130), mdP100[TL180] (180), and mdP100[mock] (m) fractions. These fractions were mixed as indicated in panel B and were incubated at 15°C for 30 min. To each mixture (25 µl), the P30BYL membrane suspension (1/20 volume of the resulting mixture) and puromycin (0.2 mM in the resulting mixtures) were added, and incubation was performed at 15°C for 1 h. After this incubation period, an aliquot of each sample was removed for protein analysis for panel B, and the remainder was subjected to the RdRP reaction for panel C. For panel B, the 130K and 180K replication proteins were detected by the Western blotting method as described in the legend to Fig. 1. For panel C, the RdRP reaction was carried out in the presence of [ -32P]CTP, and the reaction products were analyzed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. For panel D, the 32P-labeled RNA products analyzed in panel C were treated with S1 nuclease. S1 nuclease-resistant RNA was separated by 8 M urea-2.4% PAGE, and the 32P-labeled bands were detected by autoradiography. The intensities of the S1 nuclease-resistant RNA bands relative to that in lane 4 are indicated below panel D. The values are averages and standard deviations for three experiments using different preparations of BYL. In lane 8, the TL180 and TL130 RF bands were too close to be separately quantified, and the quantified areas contained both bands. The bottom inset shows a shorter exposure of lane 8. The positions that correspond to the 130K and 180K proteins, TL130 and TL180 genomic RNAs [G (130) and G (180), respectively], and the TL130 and TL180 replicative-form RNAs [RF (130) and RF (180), respectively] are indicated to the right.
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PMTC is able to accept exogenous ToMV-related RNAs as replication templates.
We next examined whether PMTC could accept exogenous RNA as replication templates. As a model replicon, a derivative of ToMV RNA, termed D1 RNA, that carries a deletion between nucleotides 1346 to 5655 was used (Fig. 6A). D1 RNA mimics the well-characterized TMV RNA derivative
Cla, which does not code for intact replication proteins but can be replicated efficiently with the assistance of wild-type helper TMV RNA in protoplasts (19).
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FIG. 6. The ability of PMTC to support the replication of exogenously added defective ToMV RNA. (A) Schematic representation of wild-type ToMV RNA (WT) and D1 RNA. (B and C) A ToMV RNA (4.0 µg)-translated or mock-translated mdBYL reaction mixture (200 µl) was centrifuged at 100,000 x g for 30 min at 4°C in a Beckman TLA 100.3 rotor, followed by the removal of 160 µl of supernatant. The pellets were resuspended in residual supernatant (40 µl) to generate the mdP100[ToMV] and mdP100[mock] fractions. For panel B, the mdP100[ToMV] (lanes 2, 4, and 6) or mdP100[mock] fraction (lanes 1, 3, and 5) (5 µl) was mixed with puromycin (0.24 mM in the resulting mixtures from 1.65 mM stock solution) and D1 RNA (0.15 µg) (lanes 3 and 4) or Rluc RNA (0.08 µg) (lanes 5 and 6) or with puromycin alone (0.24 mM in the resulting mixtures) (lanes 1 and 2) to give a final volume of 7 µl (with H2O), followed by incubation at 25°C for 30 min. To the mixtures, 1.25 µl of P30BYL membrane suspension was added, and incubation was performed at 15°C for 30 min. After this incubation period, each mixture was diluted with TR buffer that contained 0.2 mM puromycin to give a final volume of 25 µl, and the samples (20 µl) were subjected to the RdRP reaction in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. For panel C, the mdP100[ToMV] (lanes 2, 4, and 6) or mdP100[mock] (lanes 1, 3, and 5) fraction (5 µl) was mixed with 1.25 µl of P30BYL membrane suspension and puromycin (0.23 mM in the resulting mixtures from 1.65 mM stock solution), followed by incubation at 15°C for 30 min. Then, D1 RNA (0.15 µg) (lanes 3 and 4), Rluc RNA (0.08 µg) (lanes 5 and 6), or H2O (lanes 1 and 2) was added to give a final volume of 8.25 µl, and the mixture was incubated at 25°C for 30 min. After this incubation period, each mixture was diluted with TR buffer that contained 0.2 mM puromycin to give a final volume of 25 µl, and the samples (20 µl) were subjected to the RdRp reaction in the presence of [ -32P]CTP. The RdRP reaction products were analyzed as described in the legend to Fig. 1. The positions that correspond to the genomic RNA [G (D1)] or replicative-form RNA [RF (D1)] of D1 and Rluc mRNA are indicated to the right. For the other abbreviations, see the legend to Fig. 1.
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The 130K and 180K replication proteins synthesized by translation of ToMV RNA in mdBYL were fractionated not only into the P100 fraction but also into the S100 (mdS100[ToMV]) fraction. The replication proteins in the mdS100[ToMV] fraction were not able to replicate exogenously added ToMV RNA (Fig. 2) or D1 RNA (data not shown) even in the presence of membranes and rNTPs, which suggests that PMTC formation occurs only when coupled with the translation of ToMV RNA. It is possible that ToMV replication proteins recognize ToMV RNA either during or immediately after translation or that ToMV replication proteins recognize a specific RNA structure that is transiently formed on ToMV RNA after the passage of ribosomes.
When the mdP100[TL130] and mdS100[TL180] fractions were mixed and incubated with P30BYL membranes and rNTPs, the replication of TL130 RNA occurred (Fig. 5, lane 7). This result suggests that one or more 130K protein molecules bind cotranslationally to a TL130 RNA molecule and that the 180K protein (and perhaps an additional 130K protein) binds posttranslationally to the 130K protein-TL130 RNA complex to form PMTC. We propose to call this cotranslationally formed, 130K protein-viral RNA complex the "core PMTC." On the other hand, when the mdP100[TL180] fraction alone was incubated with P30BYL membranes and rNTPs, the replication of TL180 RNA was observed (Fig. 5, lane 4). When the mdP100[TL180] fraction was mixed with the mdP100[TL130] fraction, followed by incubation with P30BYL membranes and rNTPs, not only the replication of TL180 RNA but also more active replication of TL130 RNA was observed (Fig. 5, lane 8). These results suggest that the 180K protein alone can form core PMTC at lower efficiency than the 130K protein. Thus, in the wild-type context, in which both the 130K and 180K proteins are expressed from the same translation template, PMTC appears to be established mainly through the cotranslational formation of the 130K protein-ToMV RNA complex (core PMTC), followed by posttranslational binding of the 180K protein (and perhaps an additional 130K protein) to the core PMTC. The 180K protein may acquire the ability to synthesize ()RNA through binding to core PMTC and the subsequent interactions with membranes and host proteins.
In keeping with these possibilities, Lewandowski and colleagues found that some deletion derivatives of TMV RNAs (defective RNAs) that encode the 130K protein alone can be replicated in plant cells when helper TMV RNA derivatives that express the 180K protein are coinoculated; however, frame-shift and other deleterious mutations in the 130K protein ORF in the defective RNA greatly reduce the efficiency of defective RNA replication. From these observations, these authors proposed a model in which the 130K protein first binds to its translation template (i.e., defective RNA) in cis, the 180K protein is then incorporated into this complex, and finally, the synthesis of ()RNA occurs (19, 20). It is reasonable to assume that the replication proteins preferentially select their translation template as the replication template (i.e., in cis), since the closest replication template for nascent replication protein is its own translation template for positive-strand RNA viruses with nonsegmented genomes. Taking into consideration the fact that core PMTC is cotranslationally formed, it is assumed that the cis preference is much stronger.
We have also demonstrated that a deletion derivative of ToMV RNA, D1, is replicated when D1 RNA is mixed with PMTC and then with P30BYL membranes and rNTPs. In the in vitro system, translation of D1 RNA was not required for D1 RNA to be replicated (Fig. 6B, lane 4). In contrast, translation of at least a certain part of the 130K protein ORF is necessary for defective RNAs to be replicated efficiently by helper viruses in vivo (20). To explain this contradiction, we propose two alternative pathways of defective RNA replication: (i) through posttranslational, transrecognition of defective RNA by PMTC supplied by helper RNA and (ii) through cotranslational formation of core PMTC (or core PMTC-like complex) on the defective RNA molecule, followed by recruitment of the 180K protein (and perhaps the 130K protein) supplied by helper RNA. In vivo, pathway ii would be more active than pathway i. The presence of membranes during translation may contribute to this effect. In vitro, where D1 RNA was incubated with helper RNA-derived PMTC in the presence of puromycin and in the absence of membranes, only pathway i would occur. Considering that core PMTC is formed cotranslationally, it seems unlikely that the replication protein in the core PMTC detaches from the translation template and then binds again to D1 RNA. Rather, it is plausible to postulate that independently of the translation template RNA-binding site of the replication protein in core PMTC, the PMTC has one or more additional template RNA-binding sites that are open for exogenous templates.
This work was supported by the Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. K.K. is supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Published ahead of print on 15 November 2006. ![]()
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-synthase gene in Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:10225-10230.
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