Nucleic Acid Binding by Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CA Promotes Virus Assembly and Genome Packaging

0471473 - ÚOCHB 2017 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Füzik, T. - Píchalová, R. - Schur, F. K. M. - Strohalmová, Karolína - Křížová, Ivana - Hadravová, Romana - Rumlová, Michaela - Briggs, J. A. G. - Ulbrich, P. - Ruml, T.
Nucleic Acid Binding by Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus CA Promotes Virus Assembly and Genome Packaging.
Journal of Virology. Roč. 90, č. 9 (2016), s. 4593-4603. ISSN 0022-538X. E-ISSN 1098-5514
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-15326S; GA MŠMT LO1302; GA MŠMT(CZ) LO1304
Institutional support: RVO:61388963
Keywords : M-PMV * virus assembly * capsid protein
Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology
Impact factor: 4.663, year: 2016

The Gag polyprotein of retroviruses drives immature virus assembly by forming hexameric protein lattices. The assembly is primarily mediated by protein-protein interactions between capsid (CA) domains and by interactions between nucleocapsid (NC) domains and RNA. Specific interactions between NC and the viral RNA are required for genome packaging. Previously reported cryoelectron microscopy analysis of immature Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) particles suggested that a basic region (residues RKK) in CA may serve as an additional binding site for nucleic acids. Here, we have introduced mutations into the RKK region in both bacterial and proviral M-PMV vectors and have assessed their impact on M-PMV assembly, structure, RNA binding, budding/release, nuclear trafficking, and infectivity using in vitro and in vivo systems. Our data indicate that the RKK region binds and structures nucleic acid that serves to promote virus particle assembly in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the RKK region appears to be important for recruitment of viral genomic RNA into Gag particles, and this function could be linked to changes in nuclear trafficking. Together these observations suggest that in M-PMV, direct interactions between CA and nucleic acid play important functions in the late stages of the viral life cycle.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0268857