(1)H, (13)C, (15)N backbone and side chain NMR resonance assignments for E73 from Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus ragged hills, a hyperthermophilic crenarchaeal virus from Yellowstone National Park

Review of lactose-driven auto-induction expression of isotope-labelled proteins

NMR is an important method in the structural and functional characterization of proteins, but such experiments typically require isotopic labelling because of the low natural abundance of the nuclei of interest. Isotope-labelled protein for NMR experiments is typically obtained from IPTG-inducible bacterial expression systems in a minimal media that contains labelled carbon or nitrogen sources. Optimization of expression conditions is crucial yet challenging; large amounts of labelled protein are desired, yet protein yields are lower in minimal media, while the labelled precursors are expensive. Faced with these challenges there is a growing body of literature that apply innovative methods of induction to optimize the yield of isotope-labelled protein. A promising technique is lactose-driven auto-induction as it mitigates user intervention and can lead to higher protein yields. This review assesses the current advances and limitations surrounding the ability of researchers to isotope label proteins using auto-induction, and it identifies key components for optimization.

Structure and mechanisms of viral transcription factors in archaea

Virus-encoded transcription factors have been pivotal in exploring the molecular mechanisms and regulation of gene expression in bacteria and eukaryotes since the birth of molecular biology, while our understanding of viral transcription in archaea is still in its infancy. Archaeal viruses do not encode their own RNA polymerases (RNAPs) and are consequently entirely dependent on their hosts for gene expression; this is fundamentally different from many bacteriophages and requires alternative regulatory strategies. Archaeal viruses wield a repertoire of proteins to expropriate the host transcription machinery to their own benefit. In this short review we summarise our current understanding of gene-specific and global mechanisms that viruses employ to chiefly downregulate host transcription and enable the efficient and temporal expression of the viral transcriptome. Most of the experimentally characterised archaeo-viral transcription regulators possess either ribbon-helix-helix or Zn-finger motifs that allow them to engage with the DNA in a sequence-specific manner, altering the expression of a specific subset of genes. Recently a novel type of regulator was reported that directly binds to the RNAP and shuts down transcription of both host and viral genes in a global fashion.

Extreme Mutation Tolerance: Nearly Half of the Archaeal Fusellovirus Sulfolobus Spindle-Shaped Virus 1 Genes Are Not Required for Virus Function, Including the Minor Capsid Protein Gene vp3

Viruses infecting the Archaea harbor a tremendous amount of genetic diversity. This is especially true for the spindle-shaped viruses of the family Fuselloviridae, where >90% of the viral genes do not have detectable homologs in public databases. This significantly limits our ability to elucidate the role of viral proteins in the infection cycle. To address this, we have developed genetic techniques to study the well-characterized fusellovirus Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 1 (SSV1), which infects Sulfolobus solfataricus in volcanic hot springs at 80°C and pH 3. Here, we present a new comparative genome analysis and a thorough genetic analysis of SSV1 using both specific and random mutagenesis and thereby generate mutations in all open reading frames. We demonstrate that almost half of the SSV1 genes are not essential for infectivity, and the requirement for a particular gene correlates well with its degree of conservation within the Fuselloviridae The major capsid gene vp1 is essential for SSV1 infectivity. However, the universally conserved minor capsid gene vp3 could be deleted without a loss in infectivity and results in virions with abnormal morphology.IMPORTANCE Most of the putative genes in the spindle-shaped archaeal hyperthermophile fuselloviruses have no sequences that are clearly similar to characterized genes. In order to determine which of these SSV genes are important for function, we disrupted all of the putative genes in the prototypical fusellovirus, SSV1. Surprisingly, about half of the genes could be disrupted without destroying virus function. Even deletions of one of the known structural protein genes that is present in all known fuselloviruses, vp3, allows the production of infectious viruses. However, viruses lacking vp3 have abnormal shapes, indicating that the vp3 gene is important for virus structure. Identification of essential genes will allow focused research on minimal SSV genomes and further understanding of the structure of these unique, ubiquitous, and extremely stable archaeal viruses.

Postcards from the edge: structural genomics of archaeal viruses

Ever since their discovery, archaeal viruses have fascinated biologists with their unusual virion morphotypes and their ability to thrive in extreme environments. Attempts to understand the biology of these viruses through genome sequence analysis were not efficient. Genomes of archaeoviruses proved to be terra incognita with only a few genes with predictable functions but uncertain provenance. In order to facilitate functional characterization of archaeal virus proteins, several research groups undertook a structural genomics approach. This chapter summarizes the outcome of these efforts. High-resolution structures of 30 proteins encoded by archaeal viruses have been solved so far. Some of these proteins possess new structural folds, whereas others display previously known topologies, albeit without detectable sequence similarity to their structural homologues. Structures of the major capsid proteins have illuminated intriguing evolutionary connections between viruses infecting hosts from different domains of life and also revealed new structural folds not yet observed in currently known bacterial and eukaryotic viruses. Structural studies, discussed here, have advanced our understanding of the archaeal virosphere and provided precious information on different aspects of biology of archaeal viruses and evolution of viruses in general.

Structural studies of E73 from a hyperthermophilic archaeal virus identify the "RH3" domain, an elaborated ribbon-helix-helix motif involved in DNA recognition

Hyperthermophilic archaeal viruses, including Sulfolobus spindle-shaped viruses (SSVs) such as SSV-1 and SSV-Ragged Hills, exhibit remarkable morphology and genetic diversity. However, they remain poorly understood, in part because their genomes exhibit limited or unrecognizable sequence similarity to genes with known function. Here we report structural and functional studies of E73, a 73-residue homodimeric protein encoded within the SSV-Ragged Hills genome. Despite lacking significant sequence similarity, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure reveals clear similarity to ribbon-helix-helix (RHH) domains present in numerous proteins involved in transcriptional regulation. In vitro double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) binding experiments confirm the ability of E73 to bind dsDNA in a nonspecific manner with micromolar affinity, and characterization of the K11E variant confirms the location of the predicted DNA binding surface. E73 is distinct, however, from known RHH domains. The RHH motif is elaborated upon by the insertion of a third helix that is tightly integrated into the structural domain, giving rise to the "RH3" fold. Within the homodimer, this helix results in the formation of a conserved, symmetric cleft distal to the DNA binding surface, where it may mediate protein-protein interactions or contribute to the high thermal stability of E73. Analysis of backbone amide dynamics by NMR provides evidence of a rigid core, fast picosecond to nanosecond time scale NH bond vector motions for residues located within the antiparallel β-sheet region of the proposed DNA-binding surface, and slower microsecond to millisecond time scale motions for residues in the α1-α2 loop. The roles of E73 and its SSV homologues in the viral life cycle are discussed.