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Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 9086-9093, Vol. 82, No. 18
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.01024-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Presence of the Adenovirus IVa2 Protein at a Single Vertex of the Mature Virion{triangledown}

Joan B. Christensen,1 Serena A. Byrd,1 Angela K. Walker,2 John R. Strahler,2 Philip C. Andrews,2 and Michael J. Imperiale1*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Comprehensive Cancer Center,1 Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan2

Received 15 May 2008/ Accepted 2 July 2008

Assembly of adenovirus particles is thought to be similar to that of bacteriophages, in which the double-stranded DNA genome is inserted into a preformed empty capsid. Previous studies from our and other laboratories have implicated the viral IVa2 protein as a key component of the encapsidation process. IVa2 binds to the packaging sequence on the viral chromosome in a sequence-specific manner, alone and in conjunction with the viral L4 22K protein. In addition, it interacts with the viral L1 52/55-kDa protein, which is required for DNA packaging. Finally, a mutant virus that does not produce IVa2 is unable to produce any capsids. Therefore, it has been proposed that IVa2 nucleates capsid assembly. A prediction of such a model is that the IVa2 protein would be found at a unique vertex of the mature virion. In this study, the location of IVa2 in the virion has been analyzed using immunogold staining and electron microscopy, and the copy number of IVa2 in virions was determined using three independent methods, quantitative mass spectrometry, metabolic labeling, and Western blotting. The results indicate that it resides at a unique vertex and that there are approximately six to eight IVa2 molecules in each particle. These findings support the hypothesis that the IVa2 protein plays multiple roles in the viral assembly process.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr., 5724A Medical Science Bldg. II, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Phone: (734) 763-9162. Fax: (734) 615-6560. E-mail: imperial{at}umich.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 9 July 2008.

Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 9086-9093, Vol. 82, No. 18
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.01024-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Russell, W. C. (2009). Adenoviruses: update on structure and function. J. Gen. Virol. 90: 1-20 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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