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Zinzula L, Scholz J, Nagy I, Di Guardo G, Orsini M. Biophysical characterization of the cetacean morbillivirus haemagglutinin glycoprotein. Virus Res 2023; 336:199231. [PMID: 37769814 PMCID: PMC10550842 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is an enveloped, non-segmented, negative-stranded RNA virus that infects marine mammals, spreading across species and causing lethal disease outbreaks worldwide. Among the eight proteins encoded by the CeMV genome, the haemagglutinin (H) glycoprotein is responsible for the virus attachment to host cell receptors. CeMV H represents an attractive target for antiviral and diagnostic research, yet the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying its role in infection and inter-species transmission was hampered thus far due to the unavailability of recombinant versions of the protein. Here we present the cloning, expression and purification of a recombinant CeMV H ectodomain (rH-ecto), providing an initial characterization of its biophysical and structural properties. Sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) combined to Western blot analysis and periodic acid Schiff assay showed that CeMV rH-ecto is purifiable at homogeneity from insect cells as a secreted, soluble and glycosylated protein. Miniaturized differential scanning fluorimetry, Blue Native PAGE and size exclusion chromatography coupled to multiangle light scattering revealed that CeMV rH-ecto is globularly folded, thermally stable and exists in solution in the oligomeric states of dimer and multiple of dimers. Furthermore, negative stain electron microscopy single particle analysis allowed us to delineate a low-resolution molecular architecture of the CeMV rH-ecto dimer, which recapitulates native assemblies from other morbilliviral H proteins, such as those from measles virus and canine distemper virus. This set of experiments by orthogonal techniques validates the CeMV rH-ecto as an experimental model for future biochemical studies on its structure and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Zinzula
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany; Centro di Educazione Ambientale e alla Sostenibilità (CEAS) Laguna di Nora, Pula, Italy.
| | - Judith Scholz
- Core Facility, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - István Nagy
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany; Center of Research and Development, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Retired Professor of General Pathology and Veterinary Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Orsini
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Italy
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Zinzula L, Beck F, Klumpe S, Bohn S, Pfeifer G, Bollschweiler D, Nagy I, Plitzko JM, Baumeister W. Cryo-EM structure of the cetacean morbillivirus nucleoprotein-RNA complex. J Struct Biol 2021; 213:107750. [PMID: 34089875 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2021.107750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is an emerging and highly infectious paramyxovirus that causes outbreaks in cetaceans and occasionally in pinnipeds, representing a major threat to biodiversity and conservation of endangered marine mammal populations in both hemispheres. As for all non-segmented, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses, the morbilliviral genome is enwrapped by thousands of nucleoprotein (N) protomers. Each bound to six ribonucleotides, N protomers assemble to form a helical ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that serves as scaffold for nucleocapsid formation and as template for viral replication and transcription. While the molecular details on RNP complexes elucidated in human measles virus (MeV) served as paradigm model for these processes in all members of the Morbillivirus genus, no structural information has been obtained from other morbilliviruses, nor has any CeMV structure been solved so far. We report the structure of the CeMV RNP complex, reconstituted in vitro upon binding of recombinant CeMV N to poly-adenine ssRNA hexamers and solved to 4.0 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy. In spite of the amino acid sequence similarity and consequently similar folding of the N protomer, the CeMV RNP complex exhibits different helical parameters as compared to previously reported MeV orthologs. The CeMV structure reveals exclusive interactions leading to more extensive protomer-RNA and protomer-protomer interfaces. We identified twelve residues, among those varying between CeMV strains, as putatively important for the stabilization of the RNP complex, which highlights the need to study the potential of CeMV N mutations that modulate nucleocapsid assembly to also affect viral phenotype and host adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Zinzula
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Florian Beck
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sven Klumpe
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stefan Bohn
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Günter Pfeifer
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Daniel Bollschweiler
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Cryo-EM Facility, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - István Nagy
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jürgen M Plitzko
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Baumeister
- Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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Van Bressem MF, Duignan PJ, Banyard A, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Domingo M, Fauquier D, Fernandez A, Goldstein T, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Jensen BA, Jepson PD, Hall A, Kuiken T, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Raga JA, Rowles TK, Saliki J, Sierra E, Stephens N, Stone B, Tomo I, Wang J, Waltzek T, Wellehan JFX. Cetacean morbillivirus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5145-81. [PMID: 25533660 PMCID: PMC4276946 DOI: 10.3390/v6125145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the molecular and epidemiological characteristics of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) and the diagnosis and pathogenesis of associated disease, with six different strains detected in cetaceans worldwide. CeMV has caused epidemics with high mortality in odontocetes in Europe, the USA and Australia. It represents a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus. Although most CeMV strains are phylogenetically closely related, recent data indicate that morbilliviruses recovered from Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), from Western Australia, and a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), from Brazil, are divergent. The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) cell receptor for CeMV has been characterized in cetaceans. It shares higher amino acid identity with the ruminant SLAM than with the receptors of carnivores or humans, reflecting the evolutionary history of these mammalian taxa. In Delphinidae, three amino acid substitutions may result in a higher affinity for the virus. Infection is diagnosed by histology, immunohistochemistry, virus isolation, RT-PCR, and serology. Classical CeMV-associated lesions include bronchointerstitial pneumonia, encephalitis, syncytia, and lymphoid depletion associated with immunosuppression. Cetaceans that survive the acute disease may develop fatal secondary infections and chronic encephalitis. Endemically infected, gregarious odontocetes probably serve as reservoirs and vectors. Transmission likely occurs through the inhalation of aerosolized virus but mother to fetus transmission was also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +49-30-53051397
| | - Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Ashley Banyard
- Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector Borne Disease Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Kathleen M Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Maywood, IL 60153 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Mariano Domingo
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Antonio Fernandez
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-207, Brazil; E-Mail:
- Instituto Baleia Jubarte (Humpback Whale Institute), Caravelas, Bahia 45900-000, Brazil
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Brenda A Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai`i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Paul D Jepson
- Institute of Zoology, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Thijs Kuiken
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3015 CN, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua 35020, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 , Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Juan A Raga
- Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia 22085, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA GA 30602 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Eva Sierra
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Nahiid Stephens
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Western Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Brett Stone
- QML Vetnostics, Metroplex on Gateway, Murarrie, Queensland 4172, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Ikuko Tomo
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Jianning Wang
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), East Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James FX Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
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