Thermostabilities of Virion Activities of Newcastle Disease Virus: Evidence that the Temperature-Sensitive Mutants in Complementation Groups B, BC, and C Have Altered HN Proteins

Four virion activities of Newcastle disease virus (hemagglutinating, neuraminidase, hemolytic, and infectious activities) were examined before and after heat stress in low-salt buffer and physiological salt buffer (phosphate-buffered saline). The hemagglutinating and neuraminidase activities of the Australia-Victoria wild-type (AV-WT) strain were thermostable at both salt concentrations tested, whereas the thermostabilities of the hemolytic and infectious activities were salt dependent (thermostable in phosphate-buffered saline but not in low-salt buffer). Virions of RNA⁺ temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of AV-WT were tested for the stabilities of the four activities. Some mutants in groups B, BC, and C were as stable as AV-WT in all functions, but others were much less stable in all functions. The unstable mutants in groups B, BC, and C affirmed the assignment of the ts lesions of these mutants to the hemagglutinin/neuraminidase (HN) protein gene because HN function(s) are required for all four activities. The instability of these ts mutants was not related to their decreased virion HN protein content and was not due to physical loss of the HN protein from the virions. Three of four ts⁺ plaque-forming revertants of the least stable mutant, BC2, coreverted for stability, confirming that the unstable phenotype is indeed the result of the mutation responsible for the ts phenotype. Group D mutants were approximately as stable as AV-WT in hemagglutinating, neuraminidase, and hemolytic activities; this is consistent with this group representing a lesion in a gene other than the HN protein gene. However, the infectivities of two of the three group D mutants were less stable than the infectivity of AV-WT in low-salt buffer.     

Revertant analysis of a temperature-sensitive mutant of Newcastle disease virus with defective glycoproteins: implication of the fusion glycoprotein in cell killing and isolation of a neuraminidase-deficient hemagglutinating virus

Biological and molecular properties of a temperature-sensitive mutant (C1) of Newcastle disease virus and its revertants were analyzed. C1 exhibited three temperature-sensitive alterations (plaque formation, virion assembly, and cytopathogenicity) and several defects which were also present at the permissive temperature. C1 virions contained low amounts of hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycopeptides and consequently were deficient in hemagglutinating and neuraminidase activities. These virions also contained defective fusion glycoproteins which rendered them poorly hemolytic and slow to penetrate cultured chicken embryo cells. The biological activities of the membrane glycoproteins were recovered sequentially in a series of plaque-forming revertants. The coreversion of hemolysis, membrane-penetrating activities, and cytopathogenicity in the first-step revertant (S1) suggested that fusion glycoproteins were major contributors to cellular destruction. This revertant also provided evidence of a role for fusion glycoproteins in virion assembly. From S1 we isolated a large-plaque-forming revertant (L1) that assembled wild-type amounts of biologically active hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoproteins into virions. Although it was normal for hemagglutination, L1 had less than 3% of the neuraminidase activity of the wild type, demonstrating that these two activities can be uncoupled genetically. The neuraminidase deficiency of L1 did not impair its virulence in ovo or its reproduction in cultured cells.     

Intracellular processing of the paramyxovirus F protein: critical role of the predicted amphipathic alpha helix adjacent to the fusion domain.

At a nonpermissive temperature, the group D temperature-sensitive mutants of Newcastle disease virus strain Australia-Victoria (AV) are defective in plaque formation, in inducing infected cells to fuse, and in incorporating the cleaved fusion glycoprotein, F1 + F2, into virus particles. In this study, the F protein of AV, expressed in chicken embryo cells, was able to complement these mutants in a plaque assay, identifying the F gene as the gene containing the group D temperature-sensitive lesions. The F genes of mutants D1, D2, and D3 were found to contain single mutations relative to the AV sequence, clustered within a predicted amphipathic alpha helix (AAH) adjacent to the hydrophobic amino terminus of F1. These mutant F proteins were inefficiently processed at the permissive temperature, a problem that was exacerbated at the nonpermissive temperature. Surprisingly, the AV F protein was also found to be partially temperature sensitive in processing. Its AAH is predicted to contain a break in the helix close to the D mutation sites, which are themselves predicted to further weaken the helix at this point. Interestingly, six revertants of the group D mutants were found to have an additional lesion in the AAH, repairing both the AV and mutant helices, resulting in a predicted perfect helix. The F protein of these revertants had overcome both the processing defects of the mutants and the temperature sensitivity of AV, indicating that the AAH region is critical for F protein processing. The lesions of a second group of revertants were localized within F2, suggesting an interaction with the F1 AAH region containing the original lesion.     

Virion functions of RNA+ temperature-sensitive mutants of Newcastle disease virus.

Virions from Newcastle disease virus mutants in four temperature-sensitive RNA+ groups were grown in embryonated hen eggs at the permissive temperature, purified, and then analyzed for biological properties at both the permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. At the permissive temperature, virions of mutants in groups B, C, and BC (11 mutants) were all lower in specific (per milligram of protein) hemagglutination, neuraminidase, and hemolysis activities compared with the wild type. These deficiencies were related to decreased amounts of hemagglutinin-neuraminidase glycoprotein in the virions. Activities of these mutant virions at both the permissive and nonpermissive temperatures were similar, indicating that hemagglutinin-neuraminidase synthesized at the permissive temperature was not temperature sensitive in function. The three group D mutants displayed a different pattern. At the permissive temperature, they had wild-type hemagglutination and neuraminidase activities but were deficient compared with the wild type in hemolysis. Again, functions were similar at both temperatures. Most of the B, C, and BC mutants had specific infectivities similar to that of the wild type despite lower hemagglutination, neuraminidase, and hemolysis functions. However, the D mutants were all less infectious. This evidence is consistent with a shared hemagglutinin-neuraminidase defect in the B, C, and BC mutants and a defect in either the F glycoprotein or the M protein in the D mutants.     

Restricted replication of mouse hepatitis virus A59 in primary mouse brain astrocytes correlates with reduced pathogenicity.

Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of mouse hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) are drastically attenuated in their pathogenic properties. Intracerebral inoculation of mice with 10(5) PFU of mutant ts342 results in prolonged infection of the central nervous system, whereas 100 PFU of wild-type virus are lethal (M. J. M. Koolen, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, G. van Steenis, M. C. Horzinek, and B. A. M. van der Zeijst, Virology 125:393-402, 1983). In the Sac(-) cell line ts342 grows as well at 37 degrees C (the body temperature of mice) as at 31 degrees C (the permissive temperature). There is, however, a difference in primary cultures of mouse brain astrocytes. After infection with ts342, astrocytes produced low levels of infectious virus (5.2 +/- 3.7%) compared with virus yields after infection with wild-type virus. The fraction of wild-type virus- and ts342-infected cells was similar. Electron microscopy showed in wild-type virus-infected cells abundant virions in smooth vesicles usually closely associated with a well-developed Golgi apparatus. In mutant-infected cells no mature ts342 virus particles were found. There was no difference between ts342 and wild-type virus regarding the intracellular virus-specific RNAs. In ts342-infected cells the viral glycoproteins E2 and E1 were not detectable or were barely detectable. Either the mRNAs for the glycoproteins are not translated or the proteins are rapidly broken down. Revertants of ts342 were isolated. They grew as well as wild-type virus in astrocytes, indicating that they apparently produced sufficient amounts of E2 and E1, the ts defect itself rather than a second site mutation is responsible for the defect in replication, and the ts defect acts in unison with host-cell factors. The revertants also regained the lethal properties of wild-type virus.     

Morphogenesis of human adenovirus type 2 studied with fiber- and fiber and penton base-defective temperature-sensitive mutants.

The nature, polypeptide composition, and antigenic composition of the particles formed by six human adenovirus type 2 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants were studied. ts115, ts116, and ts125 were phenotypically fiber-defective mutants, and ts103, ts104, and ts136 failed to synthesize detectable amounts of fiber plus penton base at 39.5 degrees C. The mutants belonged to five complementation groups, one group including ts116 and ts125. Except for ts103 and ts136, the other mutants were capable of producing particles at 39.5 degrees C. ts116 and ts125 accumulated light assembly intermediate particles (or top components) at nonpermissive temperatures, with few virus particles. The sodium dodecyl sulfate polypeptide pattern of ts116- or ts125-infected cells, intermediate particles, and virus particles showed that polypeptide IV (fiber) was smaller by a molecular weight of 2,000 than that in the wild-type virion and was glycosylated. In fiber plus penton base-defective ts104-infected cells, equivalent quantities of top components and viruses with a buoyant density (rho) of 1.345 g/ml (rho = 1.345 particles) were produced at 39.5 degrees C. These rho = 1.345 particles corresponded to young virions, as evidenced by the presence of uncleaved precursors to proteins VI, VIII, and VII. These young virions matured upon a shift down. Virus capsid vertex antigenic components underwent a phase of eclipse during their incorporation into mature virus particles. No antigenic penton base or IIa was detected in intermediate particles of all the ts mutants tested. Only hexon and traces of fiber antigens were found in ts104 young virions. Penton base and IIIa appeared as fully antigenically expressed capsid subunits in mature wild-type virions or ts104 virions after a shift down. The ts104 lesion is postulated to affect a regulatory function related in some way to penton base and fiber overproduction and the maturation processing of precursors PVI, PVII, and PVII.     

Cell-dependent requirement of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp41 cytoplasmic tail for Env incorporation into virions

Growth kinetics in lymphocytic H9 and M8166 cells of two mutants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with deleted gp41 cytoplasmic tails were examined. While the mutant viruses designated CTdel-44 and CTdel-144 were able to grow in M8166 cells, they were unable to grow in H9 cells. Transfection and single-round infectivity assays demonstrated that they are defective in the early phase of viral replication in H9 cells. Analysis of the mutant virions revealed drastically reduced incorporation of Env gp120 (compared with the incorporation of wild-type virions) in H9 cells but normal incorporation in M8166 cells. These results indicate that the HIV-1 cytoplasmic tail of gp41 determines virus infectivity in a cell-dependent manner by affecting incorporation of Env into virions and suggest the involvement of a host cell factor(s) in the Env incorporation.     

Defective Particles in BHK Cells Infected with Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Defective particles were the major product after undiluted passage of certain temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the Indiana C strain of vesicular stomatitis virus in BHK-21 cells at the permissive temperature (31 C). Essentially homogeneous preparations of defective particles were obtained with the wild-type and individual ts mutants. The defective particles associated with some of the ts mutants, however, were morphologically and physically distinguishable from wild type and from each other. All varieties of defective particle interfered with the multiplication of mutant and wild-type virus at the permissive temperature at early times of infection but failed to complement virions of different complementation groups at the restrictive temperature (39 C) at any time during infection.     

Phenotypic characterization of temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus with mutations in a 135,000-Mr subunit of the virion-associated DNA-dependent RNA polymerase

The phenotypic defects of three temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of vaccinia virus, the ts mutations of which were mapped to the gene for one of the high-molecular-weight subunits of the virion-associated DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, were characterized. Because the virion RNA polymerase is required for the initiation of the viral replication cycle, it has been predicted that this type of mutant is defective in viral DNA replication and the synthesis of early viral proteins at the nonpermissive temperature. However, all three mutants synthesized both DNA and early proteins, and two of the three synthesized late proteins as well. RNA synthesis in vitro by permeabilized mutant virions was not more ts than that by the wild type. Furthermore, only one of three RNA polymerase activities that was partially purified from virions assembled at the permissive temperature displayed altered biochemical properties in vitro that could be correlated with its ts mutation: the ts13 activity had reduced specific activity, increased temperature sensitivity, and increased thermolability under a variety of preincubation conditions. Although the partially purified polymerase activity of a second mutant, ts72, was also more thermolabile than the wild-type activity, the thermolability was shown to be the result of a second mutation within the RNA polymerase gene. These results suggest that the defects in these mutants affect the assembly of newly synthesized polymerase subunits into active enzyme or the incorporation of RNA polymerase into maturing virions; once synthesized at the permissive temperature, the mutant polymerases are able to function in the initiation of subsequent rounds of infection at the nonpermissive temperature.     

Genetic evidence for an interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 matrix and alpha-helix 2 of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail

The incorporation of envelope (Env) glycoproteins into virions is an essential step in the retroviral replication cycle. Lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), encode Env glycoproteins with unusually long cytoplasmic tails, the functions of which have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examine the effects on virus replication of a number of mutations in a helical motif (alpha-helix 2) located near the center of the HIV-1 gp41 cytoplasmic tail. We find that, in T-cell lines, small deletions in this domain disrupt the incorporation of Env glycoproteins into virions and markedly impair virus infectivity. Through the analysis of viral revertants, we demonstrate that a single amino acid change (34VI) in the matrix domain of Gag reverses the Env incorporation and infectivity defect imposed by a small deletion near the C terminus of alpha-helix 2. These results provide genetic evidence, in the context of infected T cells, for an interaction between HIV-1 matrix and the gp41 cytoplasmic tail and identify domains of both proteins involved in this putative interaction.     

Characterization of two temperature-sensitive mutants of coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 with maturation defects in the spike protein.

Two temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of mouse hepatitis virus strain A59, ts43 and ts379, have been described previously to be ts in infectivity but unaffected in RNA synthesis (M. J. M. Koolen, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, G. van Steenis, M. C. Horzinek, and B. A. M. van der Zeijst, Virology 125:393-402, 1983). We present a detailed analysis of the protein synthesis of the mutant viruses at the permissive (31 degrees C) and nonpermissive (39.5 degrees C) temperatures. It was found that synthesis of the nucleocapsid protein N and the membrane protein M of both viruses was insensitive to temperature. However, the surface protein S of both viruses was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum at the nonpermissive temperature. This was shown first by analysis of endoglycosidase H-treated and immunoprecipitated labeled S proteins. The mature Golgi form of S was not present at the nonpermissive temperature for the ts viruses, in contrast to wild-type (wt) virus. Second, gradient purification of immunoprecipitated S after pulse-chase labeling showed that only wt virus S was oligomerized. We conclude that the lack of oligomerization causes the retention of the ts S proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. As a result, ts virus particles that were devoid of S were produced at the nonpermissive temperature. This result could be confirmed by biochemical analysis of purified virus particles and by electron microscopy.     

A second human antiretroviral factor, APOBEC3F, is suppressed by the HIV-1 and HIV-2 Vif proteins

The HIV-1 Vif protein suppresses the inhibition of viral replication caused by the human antiretroviral factor APOBEC3G. As a result, HIV-1 mutants that do not express the Vif protein are replication incompetent in 'nonpermissive' cells, such as primary T cells and the T-cell line CEM, that express APOBEC3G. In contrast, Vif-defective HIV-1 replicates effectively in 'permissive' cell lines, such as a derivative of CEM termed CEM-SS, that do not express APOBEC3G. Here, we show that a second human protein, APOBEC3F, is also specifically packaged into HIV-1 virions and inhibits their infectivity. APOBEC3F binds the HIV-1 Vif protein specifically and Vif suppresses both the inhibition of virus infectivity caused by APOBEC3F and virion incorporation of APOBEC3F. Surprisingly, APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G are extensively coexpressed in nonpermissive human cells, including primary lymphocytes and the cell line CEM, where they form heterodimers. In contrast, both genes are quiescent in the permissive CEM derivative CEM-SS. Together, these data argue that HIV-1 Vif has evolved to suppress at least two distinct but related human antiretroviral DNA-editing enzymes.     

TM domain swapping of murine leukemia virus and human T-cell leukemia virus envelopes confers different infectious abilities despite similar incorporation into virions.

We investigated the influence of transmembrane protein (TM) domains on incorporation of retroviral envelopes into virions and on infectivity. We introduced complete, truncated, or chimeric Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) envelopes into an MuLV particle-producing complementation cell line. As shown previously for HTLV-1 envelopes containing extracellular domains of F-MuLV TM (C. Denesvre, P. Sonigo, A. Corbin, H. Ellerbrok, and M. Sitbon, J. Virol. 69:4149-4157, 1995), reverse chimeric F-MuLV envelopes containing the extracellular domain of HTLV-1 TM were not processed. In contrast, a chimeric MuLV envelope containing the entire HTLV membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic domains (FHTMi) was efficiently processed, fusogenic as tested in a cell-to-cell assay, and efficiently incorporated into MuLV particles. However, these MuLV particles bearing FHTMi envelope proteins could not infect mouse or rat cells which are susceptible to wild-type F-MuLV. Therefore, envelopes which are readily fusogenic in cell-to-cell assays and also efficiently incorporated into virions may not necessarily confer virus-to-cell fusogenicity. HTLV envelopes, whether parental, chimeric (containing the MuLV cytoplasmic tail) or with a truncated cytoplasmic domain, were incorporated into MuLV particles with equal efficiencies, indicating that the cytoplasmic tails of these envelopes did not determine their incorporation into virions. In contrast to FHTMi envelope, HTLV-1 envelopes with F-MuLV membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic domains, as well as wild-type HTLV-1 envelopes, conferred virion infectivity. These results help to define requirements for envelope incorporation into retroviral particles and their cell-free infectivity.     

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 carboxyl-terminal third of capsid sequence in Gag-Pol is essential but not sufficient for efficient incorporation of Pr160<Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">gag-pol</Emphasis></Superscript> into virus particles

To elucidate the role of the C-terminal portion of Gag in the incorporation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag-Pol into virus particles, a series of HIV-1 Gag-Pol mutants with deletions in the C-terminalgag sequence was constructed and viral incorporation of the Gag-Pol deletion mutants was analyzed using cotransfecting 293T cells with a Pr55 ^gag expression plasmid. The biological function of the incorporated HIV-1pol gene product was tested using an infectivity assay of the released virus particles which were pseudotyped with the murine leukemia virus Env. Analysis indicated that Gag-Pol deletion mutants, with a removal of the matrix (MA) and/or nucleocapsid (NC) or of the N-terminal two thirds of thegag coding sequence, could be incorporated efficiently into virus particles and produce significant amounts of infectious virions when assayed in a single-cycle infection assay. In contrast, mutations involving a deletion of the major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid sequence significantly affected Gag-Pol incorporation. However, incorporation into virus particles of a Gag-Pol deletion mutant retaining both the major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid intact was still severely impaired. This suggests that the capsid major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid sequence in Gag-Pol are necessary but not sufficient for the incorporation of HIV-1 Pr160 ^gag-pol into virus particles.     

Mutant ts1 of bacteriophage PM2 is defective in the major capsid protein and fails to package its DNA.

Infection of Alteromonas espejiana at restrictive temperature with mutant ts1 of bacteriophage PM2 resulted in the intracellular accumulation of virus-sized empty-appearing membrane vesicles. The DNA associated with purified vesicles was fully susceptible to digestion with DNase. Sedimentation analysis and electron microscopy suggested a full-length linear form of the normally circular viral genome. A pulse-chase-shift experiment suggested that [3H]thymidine-labeled DNA made under restrictive conditions is assembled into virions after shift to permissive temperature. A defective structural protein in the ts1 virion appears to be the cause of a rapid rate of thermal inactivation of infectivity. Analysis of the proteins of ts1 by isoelectric focusing indicated a more alkaline isoelectric mobility of the major capsid protein, sp27. Six spontaneous revertants of ts1 showed reversion to the wild-type isoelectric form of sp27. These results identify sp27 as the defective gene product of ts1. Taken together, these results suggest that the membrane of PM2 is formed without the aid of an inner core or an outer scaffolding.     

Role of N glycosylation of hepatitis B virus envelope proteins in morphogenesis and infectivity of hepatitis delta virus

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) particles are coated with the large (L), middle (M), and small (S) hepatitis B virus envelope proteins. In the present study, we constructed glycosylation-defective envelope protein mutants and evaluated their capacity to assist in the maturation of infectious HDV in vitro. We observed that the removal of N-linked carbohydrates on the S, M, and L proteins was tolerated for the assembly of subviral hepatitis B virus (HBV) particles but was partially inhibitory for the formation of HDV virions. However, when assayed on primary cultures of human hepatocytes, virions coated with S, M, and L proteins lacking N-linked glycans were infectious. Furthermore, in the absence of M, HDV particles coated with nonglycosylated S and L proteins retained infectivity. These results indicate that carbohydrates on the HBV envelope proteins are not essential for the in vitro infectivity of HDV.     

Status of APOBEC3G/F in cells and progeny virions modulated by Vif determines HIV-1 infectivity

We examined various HIV-1 Vif mutants for interaction with APOBEC3 proteins (A3G/A3F). All replication-defective proviral mutants were found to carry A3G/A3F in virions, and of these, a replication-defective mutant with Vif that binds to A3G in cells but not in virions was noted. Furthermore, a mutant Vif protein that suppresses A3F activity but does not exclude A3F from virions was identified. We also showed that incorporation of Vif into virions is dependent on its interaction with A3G/A3F. Taken together, we concluded that functional binding of Vif to A3G/A3F in cells and/or virions is critical for viral infectivity.