Single amino acid substitution in the V protein of simian virus 5 differentiates its ability to block interferon signaling in human and murine cells

Previous work has demonstrated that the V protein of simian virus 5 (SV5) targets STAT1 for proteasome-mediated degradation (thereby blocking interferon [IFN] signaling) in human but not in murine cells. In murine BF cells, SV5 establishes a low-grade persistent infection in which the virus fluxes between active and repressed states in response to local production of IFN. Upon passage of persistently infected BF cells, virus mutants were selected that were better able to replicate in murine cells than the parental W3 strain of SV5 (wild type [wt]). Viruses with mutations in the Pk region of the N-terminal domain of the V protein came to predominate the population of viruses carried in the persistently infected cell cultures. One of these mutant viruses, termed SV5 mci-2, was isolated. Sequence analysis of the V/P gene of SV5 mci-2 revealed two nucleotide differences compared to wt SV5, only one of which resulted in an amino acid substitution (asparagine [N], residue 100, to aspartic acid [D]) in V. Unlike the protein of wt SV5, the V protein of SV5 mci-2 blocked IFN signaling in murine cells. Since the SV5 mci-2 virus had additional mutations in genes other than the V/P gene, a recombinant virus (termed rSV5-V/P N(100)D) was constructed that contained this substitution alone within the wt SV5 backbone to evaluate what effect the asparagine-to-aspartic-acid substitution in V had on the virus phenotype. In contrast to wt SV5, rSV5-V/P N(100)D blocked IFN signaling in murine cells. Furthermore, rSV5-V/P N(100)D virus protein synthesis in BF cells continued for significantly longer periods than that for wt SV5. However, even in cells infected with rSV5-V/P N(100)D, there was a late, but significant, inhibition in virus protein synthesis. Nevertheless, there was an increase in virus yield from BF cells infected with rSV5-V/P N(100)D compared to wt SV5, demonstrating a clear selective advantage to SV5 in being able to block IFN signaling in these cells.