Characterization of novel components of the baculovirus per os infectivity factor complex

Baculovirus occlusion-derived virus (ODV) infects insect midgut cells under alkaline conditions, a process mediated by highly conserved per os infectivity factors (PIFs), P74 (PIF0), PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, PIF4, and PIF5 (ODV-E56). Previously, a multimolecular complex composed of PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, and P74 was identified which was proposed to play an essential role during ODV entry. Recently, more proteins have been identified that play important roles in ODV oral infectivity, including PIF4, PIF5, and SF58, which might work in concert with previously known PIFs to facilitate ODV infection. In order to understand the ODV entry mechanism, the identification of all components of the PIF complex is crucial. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify additional components of the PIF complex. Coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) combined with proteomic analysis was used to identify the components of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) PIF complex. PIF4 and P95 (AC83) were identified as components of the PIF complex while PIF5 was not, and this was confirmed with blue native PAGE and a second CoIP. Deletion of the pif4 gene impaired complex formation, but deletion of pif5 did not. Differentially denaturing SDS-PAGE further revealed that PIF4 forms a stable complex with PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3. P95 and P74 are more loosely associated with this complex. Three other proteins, AC5, AC68, and AC108 (homologue of SF58), were also found by the proteomic analysis to be associated with the PIF complex. Finally the functional significance of the PIF protein interactions is discussed.     

HearNPV Pseudotyped with PIF1, 2, and 3 from MabrNPV: Infectivity and Complex Stability

Effective oral infection is set off by interaction of a group of conserved per os infectivity factors (PIFs) with larval midgut columnar epithelial cells. We constructed pseudotyped viruses by substituting pif1, pif2 or pif3 genes of Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) with their homologs from Mamestra bracissae multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus and tested their infectivity to tissue culture cells and to larvae. Transfection and infection assays revealed that all recombinant viruses generated infectious budded virus in both cell culture and in larvae. Electron microscopy showed synthesized occlusion body and occlusion derived virus (ODV) were morphologically indistinguishable from those of the parental virus. By contrast, feeding assays revealed that pseudotyped viruses could not rescue oral infectivity except for pif3 pseudotyped virus that only partially rescued oral infectivity but at a mortality rate much lower than that of the parental HearNPV. Consistent with the bioassay result, PIF complex was detected in ODVs of pif3 pseudotyped virus only but not in pif1 or pif2 pseudotyped viruses. Our results suggest that PIF complex is essential for oral infectivity, and in the formation of the PIF complex, PIF1, 2 are virus-specific while PIF3 does not appear to be as specific and can function in heterologous environment, albeit to a much more limited extent.     

昆虫包涵体衍生病毒囊膜蛋白的分子生物学

了解杆状病毒的囊膜蛋白对揭示病毒入侵、 囊膜蛋白核定向转运机制以及研究控制昆虫新策略等方面具有重要意义。 目前研究表明,包涵体衍生病毒(occlusion-derived virus, ODV)的囊膜蛋白包括ODV-E25, ODV-E66, ODV-E56, ODV-E18, ODV-E28, P74, PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, GP41, ODV-EC27, ODV-E35, ODV-EC43,BV/ODV-E26,P91和ORF150。 本文结合国内外的研究成果系统的综述了囊膜蛋白的结构和功能,其在经口感染、调节细胞周期和囊膜蛋白的传送等方面起作用。 囊膜蛋白的核定向转运机制,ODV与昆虫中肠之间和包涵体基质之间相互作用以及ODV结构蛋白之间的相互作用等将是今后的研究重点。     

In situ cleavage of baculovirus occlusion-derived virus receptor binding protein P74 in the peroral infectivity complex

Proteolytic processing of viral membrane proteins is common among enveloped viruses and facilitates virus entry. The Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) occlusion-derived virus (ODV) protein P74 is part of a complex of essential peroral infectivity factors (PIFs). Here we report that P74 is efficiently cleaved into two fragments of about equal size by an occlusion body (OB) endogenous alkaline protease during ODV release when AcMNPV OBs are derived from larvae. The cleavage is specific for P74, since the other known peroral infectivity factors in the same complex (PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3) were not cleaved under the same conditions. P74 cleavage was not observed in OBs produced in three different insect cell lines, suggesting a larval host origin of the responsible protease. P74 in OBs produced in larvae of two different host species was cleaved into fragments with the same apparent molecular mass, indicating that the virus incorporates a similar alkaline protease from different hosts. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis revealed that the two P74 subunit fragments remain associated with the recently discovered PIF complex. We propose that under in vivo ODV infection conditions, P74 undergoes two sequential cleavage events, the first one being performed by an ODV-associated host alkaline protease and the second carried out by trypsin in the host midgut.     

Genome analysis of a Glossina pallidipes salivary gland hypertrophy virus reveals a novel, large, double-stranded circular DNA virus

Several species of tsetse flies can be infected by the Glossina pallidipes salivary gland hypertrophy virus (GpSGHV). Infection causes salivary gland hypertrophy and also significantly reduces the fecundity of the infected flies. To better understand the molecular basis underlying the pathogenesis of this unusual virus, we sequenced and analyzed its genome. The GpSGHV genome is a double-stranded circular DNA molecule of 190,032 bp containing 160 nonoverlapping open reading frames (ORFs), which are distributed equally on both strands with a gene density of one per 1.2 kb. It has a high A+T content of 72%. About 3% of the GpSGHV genome is composed of 15 sequence repeats, distributed throughout the genome. Although sharing the same morphological features (enveloped rod-shaped nucleocapsid) as baculoviruses, nudiviruses, and nimaviruses, analysis of its genome revealed that GpSGHV differs significantly from these viruses at the level of its genes. Sequence comparisons indicated that only 23% of GpSGHV genes displayed moderate homologies to genes from other invertebrate viruses, principally baculoviruses and entomopoxviruses. Most strikingly, the GpSGHV genome encodes homologues to the four baculoviral per os infectivity factors (p74 [pif-0], pif-1, pif-2, and pif-3). The DNA polymerase encoded by GpSGHV is of type B and appears to be phylogenetically distant from all DNA polymerases encoded by large double-stranded DNA viruses. The majority of the remaining ORFs could not be assigned by sequence comparison. Furthermore, no homologues to DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunits were detected. Taken together, these data indicate that GpSGHV is the prototype member of a novel group of insect viruses.     

Baculovirus Per Os Infectivity Factors Form a Complex on the Surface of Occlusion-Derived Virus

Five highly conserved per os infectivity factors, PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, PIF4, and P74, have been reported to be essential for oral infectivity of baculovirus occlusion-derived virus (ODV) in insect larvae. Three of these proteins, P74, PIF1, and PIF2, were thought to function in virus binding to insect midgut cells. In this paper evidence is provided that PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3 form a stable complex on the surface of ODV particles of the baculovirus Autographa californica multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV). The complex could withstand 2% SDS-5% β-mercaptoethanol with heating at 50°C for 5 min. The complex was not formed when any of the genes for PIF1, PIF2, or PIF3 was deleted, while reinsertion of these genes into AcMNPV restored the complex. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis independently confirmed the interactions of the three PIF proteins and revealed in addition that P74 is also associated with this complex. However, deletion of the p74 gene did not affect formation of the PIF1-PIF2-PIF3 complex. Electron microscopy analysis showed that PIF1 and PIF2 are localized on the surface of the ODV with a scattered distribution. This distribution did not change for PIF1 or PIF2 when the gene for PIF2 or PIF1 protein was deleted. We propose that PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, and P74 form an evolutionarily conserved complex on the ODV surface, which has an essential function in the initial stages of baculovirus oral infection.The entry mechanism of enveloped viruses includes two major steps: virus binding to host receptors and subsequent fusion of the viral membrane with the cell membrane. For many viruses the processes of binding and fusion are mediated by a machinery composed of several membrane proteins working in concert with sequential events triggered by conformational changes upon interaction with host (co)receptors. Examples are herpes simplex virus (HSV) (4) and vaccinia virus (23), which have an entry machinery composed of four and eight proteins, respectively. The entry of the occlusion-derived virus (ODV) form of baculoviruses into insect midgut epithelial cells upon oral infection of insect larvae may involve a similar strategy, but little is known about the role of ODV membrane proteins.Baculovirus ODVs are orally infectious, enveloped virus particles embedded in a protein crystal called an occlusion body (OB) that infect midgut epithelial cells (24). After ingestion of OBs by the host, the proteinaceous OB crystal dissolves quickly due to the alkaline conditions (pH 10 to 11) in the midgut, and the ODV particles are released (reviewed in reference 24). After passage through the peritrophic membrane, ODVs bind and fuse with the microvilli of columnar epithelial cells, resulting in the release of nucleocapsids into the cytosol and subsequent initiation of infection (10, 12, 24). A second type of virus particle, the budded virus (BV), is produced in these cells and infects other cells and tissues in the insect, causing a systemic infection (reviewed in reference 22). While the entry mechanisms of BVs have been studied at least to a certain extent (16, 31, 32), the entry mechanism of ODVs is still rather enigmatic due to its complexity and the lack of proper cell lines supporting ODV entry.ODVs contain more than 10 different envelope proteins (3). Five of these, denoted PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, PIF4, and P74, have been identified to be essential for per os infection of insect larvae (6, 7, 14, 18, 20). These PIF proteins function in the early stage of virus infection, and deletion of any of these pif genes leads to a block in infection prior to viral gene expression in midgut epithelial cells (7, 10, 18). Until now, three of these proteins, PIF1, PIF2, and P74, have been reported to function in virus binding (10, 18). Deletion of any of these three proteins leads to a loss of oral infectivity, while only a 3-fold reduction in binding is measured, and no significant reduction in fusion efficiency is observed (10, 18). This suggests that the three PIF proteins, apart from binding to midgut epithelial cells, may have other unknown functions for which they may have to work together. The functions of PIF3 and PIF4 are rather enigmatic although there has been speculation that PIF3 functions in nucleocapsid translocation along the microvilli as it seemed to be dispensable for ODV binding and fusion (18, 24).All five proteins are highly conserved in Baculoviridae and are encoded by so-called core genes (3, 6, 11, 29). Recent work further revealed that these proteins have homologues in other large invertebrate DNA viruses which replicate in the nucleus, such as salivary gland hypertrophy viruses (SGHVs) (9), nudiviruses (30) and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) (Nimaviridae) (J. A. Jehle, personal communication). pif genes are also found in polydnaviruses of braconid wasps (2). This high conservation of pif genes in a diverse range of large, circular, double-stranded DNA viruses suggests that the PIF proteins are associated with a conserved and evolutionarily ancient entry mechanism of viruses into invertebrate hosts.The aim of the present study is to follow the ODV entry process by investigating whether the PIF proteins form a complex on the ODV membrane. Based on immunogold labeling, cross-linking, differential temperature SDS-PAGE, and coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) analysis with a panel of recombinant viruses, we provide strong evidence that PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, and P74 form a complex on the ODV surface. This complex is likely to play an essential role in virus entry into midgut epithelial cells of susceptible insect larvae.     

Genomics and proteomics of Apis mellifera filamentous virus isolated from honeybees in China

Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) is a large DNA virus that is endemic in honeybee colonies. The genome sequence of the AmFV Swiss isolate (AmFV CH–C05) has been reported, but so far very few molecular studies have been conducted on this virus. In this study, we isolated and purified AmFV (AmFV CN) from Chinese honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies and elucidated its genomics and proteomics. Electron microscopy showed ovoid purified virions with dimensions of 300–500×210–285 nm, wrapping a 3165×40 nm filamentous nucleocapsid in three figure-eight loops. Unlike AmFV CH–C05, which was reported to have a circular genome, our data suggest that AmFV CN has a linear genome of approximately 493 kb. A total of 197 ORFs were identified, among which 36 putative genes including 18 baculoviral homologs were annotated. The overall nucleotide similarity between the CN and CH–C05 isolates was 96.9%. Several ORFs were newly annotated in AmFV CN, including homologs of per os infectivity factor 4 (PIF4) and a putative integrase. Phylogenomic analysis placed AmFVs on a separate branch within the newly proposed virus class Naldaviricetes. Proteomic analysis revealed 47 AmFV virion-associated proteins, of which 14 had over 50% sequence coverage, suggesting that they are likely to be main structural proteins. In addition, all six of the annotated PIFs (PIF-0–5) were identified by proteomics, suggesting that they may function as entry factors in AmFV infection. This study provides fundamental information regarding the molecular biology of AmFV.     

The Arabidopsis phytochrome-interacting factor PIF7, together with PIF3 and PIF4, regulates responses to prolonged red light by modulating phyB levels

We show that a previously uncharacterized Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) phytochrome interacting factor (PIF), designated PIF7, interacts specifically with the far-red light-absorbing Pfr form of phyB through a conserved domain called the active phyB binding motif. Similar to PIF3, upon light exposure, PIF7 rapidly migrates to intranuclear speckles, where it colocalizes with phyB. However, in striking contrast to PIF3, this process is not accompanied by detectable light-induced phosphorylation or degradation of PIF7, suggesting that the consequences of interaction with photoactivated phyB may differ among PIFs. Nevertheless, PIF7 acts similarly to PIF3 in prolonged red light as a weak negative regulator of phyB-mediated seedling deetiolation. Examination of pif3, pif4, and pif7 double mutant combinations shows that their moderate hypersensitivity to extended red light is additive. We provide evidence that the mechanism by which these PIFs operate on the phyB signaling pathway under prolonged red light is through maintaining low phyB protein levels, in an additive or synergistic manner, via a process likely involving the proteasome pathway. These data suggest that the role of these phyB-interacting bHLH factors in modulating seedling deetiolation in prolonged red light may not be as phy-activated signaling intermediates, as proposed previously, but as direct modulators of the abundance of the photoreceptor.     

Phosphorylation by CK2 enhances the rapid light-induced degradation of phytochrome interacting factor 1 in Arabidopsis

The phytochrome family of sensory photoreceptors interacts with phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), repressors of photomorphogenesis, in response to environmental light signals and induces rapid phosphorylation and degradation of PIFs to promote photomorphogenesis. However, the kinase that phosphorylates PIFs is still unknown. Here we show that CK2 directly phosphorylates PIF1 at multiple sites. α1 and α2 subunits individually phosphorylated PIF1 weakly in vitro. However, each of four β subunits strongly stimulated phosphorylation of PIF1 by α1 or α2. Mapping of the phosphorylation sites identified seven Ser/Thr residues scattered throughout PIF1. Ser/Thr to Ala scanning mutations at all seven sites eliminated CK2-mediated phosphorylation of PIF1 in vitro. Moreover, the rate of degradation of the Ser/Thr to Ala mutant PIF1 was significantly reduced compared with wild-type PIF1 in transgenic plants. In addition, hypocotyl lengths of the mutant PIF1 transgenic plants were much longer than the wild-type PIF1 transgenic plants under light, suggesting that the mutant PIF1 is suppressing photomorphogenesis. Taken together, these data suggest that CK2-mediated phosphorylation enhances the light-induced degradation of PIF1 to promote photomorphogenesis.