The induction of interferon by vesicular stomatitis virus in mouse L cells.

Although no detectable interferon was produced when L cells were infected with wild-type VSV (VSV-o), considerable amounts of interferon were produced when cells were infected with UV-irradiated VSV-o at a multiplicity equivalent to 10 PFU/cell. Treatment of VSV-o with UV-light resulted in the marked reduction of the RNA synthesizing capacity and cytotoxity of the virus, and the UV-irradiated virus had neither infectivity nor interfering activity against homologous viruses. The amount of interferon induced by UV-VSV-o was markedly influenced by multiplicity of infection and incubation temperature. Less-virulent temperature-sensitive mutants (VSV-mp and VSV-sp) derived from L cells persistently infected with VSV induced interferon in L cells without treatment of the viruses with UV-light, but these viruses could not induce interferon if the infected cells were incubated at nonpermissive temperature, or if cells were infected at multiplicities of more than 10 PFU/cell. On the other hand, it was shown that treatment of cells with cycloheximide (100 μg/ml) delayed the expression of cell damage caused by non-irradiated VSV-o and resulted in the production of interferon when cycloheximide was removed from the cultures. These results indicate that VSV has intrinsically interferon-inducing capacity in L cells and can induce interferon if the induction is carried out under such condition that cell damage caused by VSV are suppressed or delayed. Furthermore, the effect of pretreatment of cells by interferon and undiluted passage of VSV-o on interferon induction was discussed in relation to persistent infection.     

Pseudotypes of vesicular stomatitis virus with the mixed coat of reticuloendotheliosis virus and vesicular stomatitis virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) forms pseudotypes with envelope components of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV). The VSV pseudotype possesses the limited host range and antigenic properties of REV. Approximately 70% of the VSV, Indiana serotype, and 45% of VSV, New Jersey serotype, produced from the REV strain T-transformed chicken bone marrow cells contain mixed envelope components of both VSV and REV. VSV pseudotypes with mixed envelope antigens can be neutralized with excess amounts of either anti-VSV antiserum or anti-REV antiserum.     

Host function-dependent induction of defective interfering particles of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Suppression of host cell function by treatment with actinomycin D prior to infection prevented the induction of defective interfering particles of vesicular stomatitis virus, which had been cloned and propagated in cell pretreated with actinomycin D. Replication of defective interfering particles already present in an infecting virus stock, however, was not affected by pretreatment of cells with actinomycin D. Thus, the induction, but not the replication, of defective interfering particles appears to be a host cell function-dependent phenomenon. The implications of this phenomenon for host defense mechanisms against virus infections are discussed.     

Crystal structure of vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein

The vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) matrix protein (M) interacts with cellular membranes, self-associates and plays a major role in virus assembly and budding. We present the crystallographic structure, determined at 1.96 A resolution, of a soluble thermolysin resistant core of VSV M. The fold is a new fold shared by the other vesiculovirus matrix proteins. The structure accounts for the loss of stability of M temperature-sensitive mutants deficient in budding, and reveals a flexible loop protruding from the globular core that is important for self-assembly. Membrane floatation shows that, together with the M lysine-rich N-terminal peptide, a second domain of the protein is involved in membrane binding. Indeed, the structure reveals a hydrophobic surface located close to the hydrophobic loop and surrounded by conserved basic residues that may constitute this domain. Lastly, comparison of the negative-stranded virus matrix proteins with retrovirus Gag proteins suggests that the flexible link between their major membrane binding domain and the rest of the structure is a common feature shared by these proteins involved in budding and virus assembly.     

Resistance to influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus conferred by expression of human MxA protein.

MxA and MxB are interferon-induced proteins of human cells and are related to the murine protein Mx1, which confers selective resistance to influenza virus. In contrast to the nuclear murine protein Mx1, MxA and MxB are located in the cytoplasm, and their role in the interferon-induced antiviral state was unknown. In this report we show that transfected cell lines expressing MxA acquired a high degree of resistance to influenza A virus. Surprisingly, MxA also conferred resistance to vesicular stomatitis virus. Expression of MxA in transfected 3T3 cells had no effect on the multiplication of two picornaviruses, a togavirus, or herpes simplex virus type 1. Treatment of MxA-expressing cells with antibodies to mouse alpha-beta interferon did not abolish the resistance phenotype. The conclusion that resistance to influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus was due to the specific action of MxA is further supported by the observation that transfected 3T3 cell lines expressing the related MxB failed to acquire virus resistance.     

Synthesis and infectivity of vesicular stomatitis virus containing nonglycosylated G protein.

The replication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is inhibited by tunicamycin (TM), an antibiotic that blocks the formation of N-acetylglucosaminelipid intermediates. We had shown previously that the viral glycoprotein (G) synthesized in cells treated with TM is not glycosylated and is not found on the outer surface of the cell plasma membrane. In this report, we shown that cells exposed to TM produce a low yield of infectious particles. The yield is increased when the temperature during infection is lowered from 37 to 30 degrees C. At 30 degrees C in the presence of TM, both wild-type VSV and the temperature-sensitive mutant ts045 produce particles that do not bind to concanavalin A Sepharose and contain only the nonglycosylated form of G. These particles have a specific infectivity (pfu/cpm) comparable to that of VSV containing glycosylated G.     

Phosphoprotein and nucleocapsid protein evolution of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey.

The entire phosphoprotein (P) and nucleocapsid (N) protein gene sequences and deduced amino acid sequences for 18 selected vesicular stomatitis virus isolates representative of the natural genetic diversity within the New Jersey serotype are reported. Phylogenetic analysis of the data using maximum parsimony allowed construction of evolutionary trees for the individual genes and the combined N, P, and glycoprotein (G) genes of these viruses. Virtually identical rates of nucleotide substitutions were found for each gene, indicating that evolution of these genes occurs at essentially the same rate. Although up to 19 and 17% sequence differences were evident in the P and N genes, respectively, no variation in gene length or evidence of recombinational rearrangements was found. However, striking evolutionary differences were observed among the amino acid sequences of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey N, P, and G proteins. The N protein amino acid sequence was the most highly conserved among the different isolates, indicating strong functional and structural constraints. Conversely, the P protein amino acid sequences were highly variable, indicating considerably fewer constraints or greater evolutionary pressure on the P protein. Much of the remarkable amino acid variability of the P protein resided in a hypervariable domain located between amino acids 153 and 205. The variability within this region would be consistent with it playing a structural role as a spacer to maintain correct conformational presentation of the separate active domains of this multifunctional protein. In marked contrast, the adjacent domain I of the P protein (previously thought to be under little evolutionary constraint) contained a highly conserved region. The colocalization of a short, potentially functional overlapping open reading frame to this region may explain this apparent anomaly.     

Inhibition of vesicular stomatitis virus infection by nitric oxide.

Inhibitory effects of nitric oxide (NO) on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection were investigated by using a VSV-susceptible mouse neuroblastoma cell line, NB41A3. Productive VSV infection of NB41A3 cells was significantly inhibited by an organic NO donor, S-nitro-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), while the control compound N-acetylpenicillamine (NAP) had no effect. Survival rate of VSV-infected cells was greatly increased by the treatment with SNAP, while the NAP treatment did not have any effect. Adding SNAP 30 min prior to infection resulted in complete inhibition of viral production when a low multiplicity of infection (MOI) was used. Substantial inhibition of viral production was also obtained with treating cells 6 h earlier before infection with a higher MOI. Activating the neuronal NO synthase by treating cells with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) led to significant inhibition of viral production by cells infected at the three doses of virus tested (MOIs of 0.1, 1, and 5). The inhibitory effect of NMDA on viral infection was totally blocked by the NO synthase inhibitor N-methyl-L-arginine. However, adding hemoglobin, a strong NO-binding protein and thus an inactivator of NO activity, did not reverse the NMDA-induced inhibition of viral production, suggesting that NO might exert its antiviral effects inside the NO-producing cells. Collectively, these data support the anti-VSV effects of NO, which might be one of the important factors of natural immunity in controlling the initial stages of VSV infection in the central nervous system.     

Sites of in vivo phosphorylation of vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein.

We mapped the in vivo phosphorylation sites for the matrix (M) protein of the Orsay and San Juan strains of vesicular stomatitis virus, Indiana serotype, using limited proteolysis and phosphoamino acid analysis. M protein was solubilized from 32P-labeled virions by using detergent and high-salt conditions, then treated with either trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography to determine which fragments contained phosphate residues. The M protein fragment extending from amino acid 20 to the carboxy terminus contained approximately 70% of the control 32P label, while the fragment extending from amino acid 35 to the carboxy terminus had only trace amounts of label. These data indicate that the major phosphorylation site was between amino acids 20 and 34 in the Orsay strain M protein. Phosphoamino acid analysis of M protein by thin-layer electrophoresis showed the presence of phosphothreonine and phosphoserine and that phosphothreonine continued to be released after prolonged vapor-phase acid hydrolysis. These data identify Thr-31 as the primary in vivo phosphate acceptor for M protein of the Orsay strain of vesicular stomatitis virus. The San Juan strain M protein has serine at position 32, which may also be an important phosphate acceptor. In addition, phosphorylation at Ser-2, -3, or -17 occurs to a greater extent in the San Juan strain M protein than in the Orsay strain M protein. The subcellular distribution of phosphorylated M protein was investigated to determine a probable intracellular site(s) of phosphorylation. Phosphorylated M protein was associated primarily with cellular membranes, suggesting phosphorylation by a membrane-associated kinase. Virion M protein was phosphorylated to a greater extent than membrane-bound M protein, indicating that M protein phosphorylation occurs at a late stage in virus assembly. Phosphorylation of wild-type and temperature-sensitive mutant M protein was studied in vivo at the nonpermissive temperature. The data show that phosphorylated M protein was detected only in wild-type virus-infected cells and virions, suggesting that association with nucleocapsids may be required for M protein phosphorylation or that misfolding of mutant M protein at the nonpermissive temperature prevents phosphorylation.     

Pseudotype formation of murine leukemia virus with the G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Mixed infection of a cell by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and retroviruses results in the production of progeny virions bearing the genome of one virus encapsidated by the envelope proteins of the other. The mechanism for the phenomenon of pseudotype formation is not clear, although specific recognition of a viral envelope protein by the nucleocapsid of an unrelated virus is presumably involved. In this study, we used Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV)-based retroviral vectors encoding the gene for neomycin phosphotransferase to investigate the interaction between the VSV G protein and the retroviral nucleocapsid during the formation of MoMLV(VSV) pseudotypes. Our results show that VSV G protein can be incorporated into the virions of retrovirus in the absence of other VSV-encoded proteins or of retroviral envelope protein. Infection of hamster cells by MoMLV(VSV) pseudotypes gave rise to neomycin phosphotransferase-resistant colonies, and addition of anti-VSV serum to the virus preparations completely abolished the infectivity of MoMLV(VSV) pseudotypes. It should be possible to use existing mutants of VSV G protein in the system described here to identify the signals that are important for the formation of MoMLV(VSV) pseudotypes.     

Isolation of the envelope of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus was disrupted by a combination of freezing and thawing, osmotic shock, and sonic treatment. Subviral components were separated by isopycnic centrifugation. The low-density, lipid-rich fractions were pooled and shown to contain primarily viral glycoprotein. Further purification of this material resulted in the isolation of a preparation of vesicles which contained only the G protein and the same phospholipids as in the intact virions and exhibited spikelike structures similar to those on intact vesicular stomatitis virions. We conclude that we have isolated fragments of native vesicular stomatitis virus envelopes.