Inhibition of murine leukemia virus envelope protein (env) processing by intracellular expression of the env N-terminal heptad repeat region

A conserved structural motif in the envelope proteins of several viruses consists of an N-terminal, alpha-helical, trimerization domain and a C-terminal region that refolds during fusion to bind the N-helix trimer. Interaction between the N and C regions is believed to pull viral and target membranes together in a crucial step during membrane fusion. For several viruses with type I fusion proteins, C regions pack as alpha-helices in the grooves between N-helix monomers, and exogenously added N- and C-region peptides block fusion by inhibiting the formation of the six-helix bundle. For other viruses, including influenza virus and murine leukemia virus (MLV), there is no evidence for comparably extended C-region alpha-helices, although a short, non-alpha-helical interaction structure has been reported for influenza virus. We tested candidate N-helix and C-region peptides from MLV for their ability to inhibit cell fusion but found no inhibitory activity. In contrast, intracellular expression of the MLV N-helix inhibited fusion by efficiently blocking proteolytic processing and intracellular transport of the envelope protein. The results highlight another mechanism by which the N-helix peptides can inhibit fusion.