Inhibition of transcription factor activity by poliovirus

Deconvolution of pro- and antiviral genomic responses in Zika virus-infected and bystander macrophages

Interpretation of genome-wide investigations of host–pathogen interactions are often obscured by analyses of mixed populations of infected and uninfected cells. Thus, we developed a system whereby we simultaneously characterize and compare genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic changes in pure populations of virally infected and neighboring uninfected cells to identify viral-regulated host responses. Using patient-derived unmodified Zika viruses (ZIKV) infecting primary human macrophages, we reveal that ZIKV suppresses host transcription by multiple mechanisms. ZIKV infection causes both targeted suppression of type I interferon responses and general suppression by reducing RNA polymerase II protein levels and DNA occupancy. Simultaneous evaluation of transcriptomic and epigenetic features of infected and uninfected cells provides a powerful method for identifying coincident evolution of dominant proviral or antiviral mechanisms.

Genome-wide investigations of host–pathogen interactions are often limited by analyses of mixed populations of infected and uninfected cells, which lower sensitivity and accuracy. To overcome these obstacles and identify key mechanisms by which Zika virus (ZIKV) manipulates host responses, we developed a system that enables simultaneous characterization of genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic changes in ZIKV-infected and neighboring uninfected primary human macrophages. We demonstrate that transcriptional responses in ZIKV-infected macrophages differed radically from those in uninfected neighbors and that studying the cell population as a whole produces misleading results. Notably, the uninfected population of macrophages exhibits the most rapid and extensive changes in gene expression, related to type I IFN signaling. In contrast, infected macrophages exhibit a delayed and attenuated transcriptional response distinguished by preferential expression of IFNB1 at late time points. Biochemical and genomic studies of infected macrophages indicate that ZIKV infection causes both a targeted defect in the type I IFN response due to degradation of STAT2 and reduces RNA polymerase II protein levels and DNA occupancy, particularly at genes required for macrophage identity. Simultaneous evaluation of transcriptomic and epigenetic features of infected and uninfected macrophages thereby reveals the coincident evolution of dominant proviral or antiviral mechanisms, respectively, that determine the outcome of ZIKV exposure.

Antibody selection using clonal cocultivation of Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells in miniecosystems

We describe a method for the rapid selection of functional antibodies. The method depends on the cocultivation of Escherichia coli that produce phage with target eukaryotic cells in very small volumes. The antibodies on phage induce selectable phenotypes in the target cells, and the nature of the antibody is determined by gene sequencing of the phage genome. To select functional antibodies from the diverse antibody repertoire, we devised a selection platform that contains millions of picoliter-sized droplet ecosystems. In each miniecosystem, the bacteria produce phage displaying unique members of the antibody repertoire. These phage interact only with eukaryotic cells in the same miniecosystem, making phage available directly for activity-based antibody selection in biological systems.

Alphavirus Infection: Host Cell Shut-Off and Inhibition of Antiviral Responses

Alphaviruses cause debilitating disease in humans and animals and are transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods, typically mosquitoes. With a traditional focus on two models, Sindbis virus and Semliki Forest virus, alphavirus research has significantly intensified in the last decade partly due to the re-emergence and dramatic expansion of chikungunya virus in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. As a consequence, alphavirus–host interactions are now understood in much more molecular detail, and important novel mechanisms have been elucidated. It has become clear that alphaviruses not only cause a general host shut-off in infected vertebrate cells, but also specifically suppress different host antiviral pathways using their viral nonstructural proteins, nsP2 and nsP3. Here we review the current state of the art of alphavirus host cell shut-off of viral transcription and translation, and describe recent insights in viral subversion of interferon induction and signaling, the unfolded protein response, and stress granule assembly.

Picornaviruses and nuclear functions: targeting a cellular compartment distinct from the replication site of a positive-strand RNA virus

The compartmentalization of DNA replication and gene transcription in the nucleus and protein production in the cytoplasm is a defining feature of eukaryotic cells. The nucleus functions to maintain the integrity of the nuclear genome of the cell and to control gene expression based on intracellular and environmental signals received through the cytoplasm. The spatial separation of the major processes that lead to the expression of protein-coding genes establishes the necessity of a transport network to allow biomolecules to translocate between these two regions of the cell. The nucleocytoplasmic transport network is therefore essential for regulating normal cellular functioning. The Picornaviridae virus family is one of many viral families that disrupt the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of cells to promote viral replication. Picornaviruses contain positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genomes and replicate in the cytoplasm of infected cells. As a result of the limited coding capacity of these viruses, cellular proteins are required by these intracellular parasites for both translation and genomic RNA replication. Being of messenger RNA polarity, a picornavirus genome can immediately be translated upon entering the cell cytoplasm. However, the replication of viral RNA requires the activity of RNA-binding proteins, many of which function in host gene expression, and are consequently localized to the nucleus. As a result, picornaviruses disrupt nucleocytoplasmic trafficking to exploit protein functions normally localized to a different cellular compartment from which they translate their genome to facilitate efficient replication. Furthermore, picornavirus proteins are also known to enter the nucleus of infected cells to limit host-cell transcription and down-regulate innate antiviral responses. The interactions of picornavirus proteins and host-cell nuclei are extensive, required for a productive infection, and are the focus of this review.

Protein Tpr is required for establishing nuclear pore-associated zones of heterochromatin exclusion

Amassments of heterochromatin in somatic cells occur in close contact with the nuclear envelope (NE) but are gapped by channel- and cone-like zones that appear largely free of heterochromatin and associated with the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). To identify proteins involved in forming such heterochromatin exclusion zones (HEZs), we used a cell culture model in which chromatin condensation induced by poliovirus (PV) infection revealed HEZs resembling those in normal tissue cells. HEZ occurrence depended on the NPC-associated protein Tpr and its large coiled coil-forming domain. RNAi-mediated loss of Tpr allowed condensing chromatin to occur all along the NE's nuclear surface, resulting in HEZs no longer being established and NPCs covered by heterochromatin. These results assign a central function to Tpr as a determinant of perinuclear organization, with a direct role in forming a morphologically distinct nuclear sub-compartment and delimiting heterochromatin distribution.

A five-amino-acid deletion of the eastern equine encephalitis virus capsid protein attenuates replication in mammalian systems but not in mosquito cells

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a human and veterinary pathogen that causes sporadic cases of fatal neurological disease. We previously demonstrated that the capsid protein of EEEV is a potent inhibitor of host cell gene expression and that this function maps to the amino terminus of the protein. We now identify amino acids 55 to 75, within the N terminus of the capsid, as critical for the inhibition of host cell gene expression. An analysis of stable EEEV replicons expressing mutant capsid proteins corroborated these mapping data. When deletions of 5 to 20 amino acids within this region of the capsid were introduced into infectious EEEV, the mutants exhibited delayed replication in Vero cells. However, the replication of the 5-amino-acid deletion mutant in C710 mosquito cells was not affected, suggesting that virus replication and assembly were affected in a cell-specific manner. Both 5- and 20-amino-acid deletion mutant viruses exhibited increased sensitivity to interferon (IFN) in cell culture and impaired replication and complete attenuation in mice. In summary, we have identified a region within the capsid protein of EEEV that contributes to the inhibition of host gene expression and to the protection of EEEV from the antiviral effects of IFNs. This region is also critical for EEEV pathogenesis.

Poliovirus infection blocks ERGIC-to-Golgi trafficking and induces microtubule-dependent disruption of the Golgi complex

Cells infected with poliovirus exhibit a rapid inhibition of protein secretion and disruption of the Golgi complex. Neither the precise step at which the virus inhibits protein secretion nor the fate of the Golgi complex during infection has been determined. We find that transport-vesicle exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and trafficking to the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) are unaffected in the poliovirus-infected cell. By contrast, poliovirus infection blocks transport from the ERGIC to the Golgi complex. Poliovirus infection also induces fragmentation of the Golgi complex resulting in diffuse distribution of both large and small vesicles throughout the cell. Pre-treatment with nocodazole prevents complete fragmentation, indicating that microtubules are required for poliovirus-induced Golgi dispersion. However, virally induced inhibition of the secretory pathway is not affected by nocodazole, and Golgi dispersion was found to occur during infection with mutant viruses with reduce ability to inhibit protein secretion. We conclude that the dispersion of the Golgi complex is not in itself the cause of inhibition of traffic between the ERGIC and the Golgi. Instead, these phenomena are independent effects of poliovirus infection on the host secretory complex.

Shutoff of RNA polymerase II transcription by poliovirus involves 3C protease-mediated cleavage of the TATA-binding protein at an alternative site: incomplete shutoff of transcription interferes with efficient viral replication

The TATA-binding protein (TBP) plays a crucial role in cellular transcription catalyzed by all three DNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Previous studies have shown that TBP is targeted by the poliovirus (PV)-encoded protease 3C(pro) to bring about shutoff of cellular RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription in PV-infected cells. The processing of the majority of viral precursor proteins by 3C(pro) involves cleavages at glutamine-glycine (Q-G) sites. We present evidence that suggests that the transcriptional inactivation of TBP by 3C(pro) involves cleavage at the glutamine 104-serine 105 (Q104-S105) site of TBP and not at the Q18-G19 site as previously thought. The TBP Q104-S105 cleavage by 3C(pro) is greatly influenced by the presence of an aliphatic amino acid at the P4 position, a hallmark of 3C(pro)-mediated proteolysis. To examine the importance of host cell transcription shutoff in the PV life cycle, stable HeLa cell lines were created that express recombinant TBP resistant to cleavage by the viral proteases, called GG rTBP. Transcription shutoff was significantly impaired and delayed in GG rTBP cells upon infection with poliovirus compared with the cells that express wild-type recombinant TBP (wt rTBP). Infection of GG rTBP cells with poliovirus resulted in small plaques, significantly reduced viral RNA synthesis, and lower viral yields compared to the wt rTBP cell line. These results suggest that a defect in transcription shutoff can lead to inefficient replication of poliovirus in cultured cells.

TFIIH Transcription Factor, a Target for the Rift Valley Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

The Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is the causative agent of fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and acute hepatitis in ruminants. We found that infection by RVFV leads to a rapid and drastic suppression of host cellular RNA synthesis that parallels a decrease of the TFIIH transcription factor cellular concentration. Using yeast two hybrid system, recombinant technology, and confocal microscopy, we further demonstrated that the nonstructural viral NSs protein interacts with the p44 component of TFIIH to form nuclear filamentous structures that also contain XPB subunit of TFIIH. By competing with XPD, the natural partner of p44 within TFIIH, and sequestering p44 and XPB subunits, NSs prevents the assembly of TFIIH subunits, thus destabilizing the normal host cell life. These observations shed light on the mechanism utilized by RVFV to evade the host response.

The interaction of cytoplasmic RNA viruses with the nucleus

Mammalian cells infected with poliovirus, the prototype member of the picornaviridae family, undergo rapid macromolecular and metabolic changes resulting in efficient replication and release of virus from infected cells. Although this virus is predominantly cytoplasmic, it does shut-off transcription of all three cellular transcription systems. Both biochemical and genetic studies have shown that a virally encoded protease, 3C(pro), is responsible for host cell transcription shut-off. The 3C protease cleaves a number of RNA polymerase II transcription factors including the TATA-binding protein (TBP), the cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), the Octamer binding protein (Oct-1), p53, and RNA polymerase III transcription factor IIICalpha, and Polymerase I factor SL-1. Most of these cleavages occur at glutamine-glycine bonds. Additionally, a second viral protease, 2A(pro), also cleaves TBP at a tyrosine-glycine bond. The latter cleavage could be responsible for shut-off of small nuclear RNA transcription. Recent studies indicate that the viral protease-polymerase precursor 3CD can enter nucleus in poliovirus-infected cells. The nuclear localization signal (NLS) present within the 3D sequence appears to play a role in the nuclear entry of 3CD. Thus, 3C may be delivered to the infected cell nucleus in the form the precursor 3CD or other 3C-containing precursors. Auto-proteolytic cleavage of these precursors could then generate 3C. Thus, for a small RNA virus that strictly replicates in the cytoplasm, a portion of its life cycle does include interaction with the host cell nucleus.

IFN-Stimulated transcription through a TBP-free acetyltransferase complex escapes viral shutoff

Type I interferon (IFN) stimulates transcription through a heteromeric transcription factor that contains tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT2. We show that STAT2 recruits histone acetyltransferases (HAT) through its transactivation domain, resulting in localized transient acetylation of histones. GCN5, but not p300/CBP or PCAF, is required for STAT2 function. However, GCN5 function is impaired by the transcriptional antagonist, adenovirus E1A oncoprotein. The TFIID component TAF(II)130 potentiates STAT2 function, but TAF(II)28 or the HAT activity of TAF(II)250 do not, and transcriptional induction can proceed independently of the TATA-binding protein, TBP. Moreover, IFN-stimulated transcription was resistant to poliovirus-targeted degradation by TBP, and continued despite host-cell transcriptional shutoff during poliovirus infection. We conclude that a non-classical transcriptional mechanism combats an anticellular action of poliovirus, through a TBP-free TAF-containing complex and GCN5.

Poliovirus 3C protease-mediated degradation of transcriptional activator p53 requires a cellular activity

Infection of HeLa cells with poliovirus leads to rapid shut-off of host cell transcription by RNA polymerase II. Previous results have suggested that both the basal transcription factor TBP (TATA-binding protein) and transcription activator proteins such as CREB (cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein) and Oct-1 (the octamer-binding factor) are cleaved by the viral-encoded protease, 3C(Pro). Here we demonstrate that the transcriptional activator (and tumor suppressor) p53 is degraded by the viral protease 3C both in vivo and in vitro. Unlike other transcription factors that are directly cleaved by 3C(pro), degradation of p53 requires a HeLa cell activity in addition to 3C(Pro). The degradation of p53 by 3C(Pro) does not appear to involve the ubiquitin pathway of protein degradation. Vaccinia virus infection of HeLa cells leads to inactivation of the cellular activity required for 3C(Pro)-mediated degradation of p53. The vaccinia-encoded protein (CrmA) is known to inhibit caspase I (ICE protease) that converts inactive IL-1beta to an active secreted form. Incubation of HeLa cells with caspase I inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk does not interfere with 3C(Pro)-mediated degradation of p53. The cellular activity present in extracts of HeLa cells can be fractionated through phosphocellulose. A partially purified fraction that elutes at 0.6 M KCl from phosphocellulose contains the activity that degrades p53 in a 3C(Pro)-dependent manner. These results suggest that both poliovirus-encoded protease 3C(Pro) and a cellular activity are required for the degradation of p53 observed in cells infected with poliovirus.

Cytopathogenesis and inhibition of host gene expression by RNA viruses

Many viruses interfere with host cell function in ways that are harmful or pathological. This often results in changes in cell morphology referred to as cytopathic effects. However, pathogenesis of virus infections also involves inhibition of host cell gene expression. Thus the term "cytopathogenesis," or pathogenesis at the cellular level, is meant to be broader than the term "cytopathic effects" and includes other cellular changes that contribute to viral pathogenesis in addition to those changes that are visible at the microscopic level. The goal of this review is to place recent work on the inhibition of host gene expression by RNA viruses in the context of the pathogenesis of virus infections. Three different RNA virus families, picornaviruses, influenza viruses, and rhabdoviruses, are used to illustrate common principles involved in cytopathogenesis. These examples were chosen because viral gene products responsible for inhibiting host gene expression have been identified, as have some of the molecular targets of the host. The argument is made that the role of the virus-induced inhibition of host gene expression is to inhibit the host antiviral response, such as the response to double-stranded RNA. Viral cytopathogenesis is presented as a balance between the host antiviral response and the ability of viruses to inhibit that response through the overall inhibition of host gene expression. This balance is a major determinant of viral tissue tropism in infections of intact animals.

Mutational analysis of poliovirus 2Apro. Distinct inhibitory functions of 2apro on translation and transcription

Transient expression of poliovirus 2Apro in mammalian cells by means of the recombinant vaccinia virus vT7 expression system leads to drastic inhibition of both cellular and vaccinia virus gene expression (Aldabe, R., Feduchi, E., Novoa, I., and Carrasco, L. (1995) FEBS Lett. 377, 1-5; Aldabe, R., Feduchi, E., Novoa, I., and Carrasco, L. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 215, 928-936). To obtain further insights into the molecular basis of this inhibition, a number of 2Apro variants were generated and expressed in COS-1 cells. The effect of these variants on cellular translation, on vaccinia virus-specific translation, and on transcription of the reporter gene luciferase was analyzed. The ability of the different 2Apro variants to block cellular translation depends on their capacities to cleave eIF-4G. The blockade exerted by 2Apro on transcription of the luciferase gene reinforces the notion that this protease is a potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. Some of the 2Apro variants tested failed to block luciferase transcription, despite the fact that eIF-4G cleavage and inhibition of translation were observed. Two reconstituted polioviruses mutated in 2Apro were defective in inhibiting luciferase transcription, yet were still able to cleave eIF-4G and block translation. These findings indicate that 2Apro interferes with cellular gene expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Moreover, these two effects probably reflect the inactivation of different host proteins by poliovirus 2Apro.

Cleavage of transcriptional activator Oct-1 by poliovirus encoded protease 3Cpro

In HeLa cells, RNA polymerase II mediated transcription is severely inhibited by poliovirus infection. Both basal and activated transcription are affected to bring about a complete shutoff of host cell transcription. We demonstrate here that the octamer binding transcription factor, Oct-1, is cleaved in HeLa cells infected with poliovirus. Incubation of Oct-1 with the purified, recombinant 3Cpro results in the generation of the cleaved Oct-1 product seen in virus infected cells. Poliovirus infection leads to the formation of altered Oct-1 DNA complexes that can also be generated by incubation of Oct-1 with purified 3Cpro. We also show that Oct-1 cleaved by 3Cpro loses its ability to inhibit transcriptional activation by the SV40 B enhancer. These results suggest that cleavage of Oct-1 in poliovirus infected cells leads to the loss of its activity.

Cellular origin and ultrastructure of membranes induced during poliovirus infection

Poliovirus RNA replicative complexes are associated with cytoplasmic membranous structures that accumulate during viral infection. These membranes were immunoisolated by using a monoclonal antibody against the viral nonstructural protein 2C. Biochemical analysis of the isolated membranes revealed that several organelles of the host cell (lysosomes, trans-Golgi stack and trans-Golgi network, and endoplasmic reticulum) contributed to the virus-induced membranous structures. Electron microscopy of infected cells preserved by high-pressure freezing revealed that the virus-induced membranes contain double lipid bilayers that surround apparently cytosolic material. Immunolabeling experiments showed that poliovirus proteins 2C and 3D were localized to the same membranes as the cellular markers tested. The morphological and biochemical data are consistent with the hypothesis that autophagy or a similar host process is involved in the formation of the poliovirus-induced membranes.

DNA binding domain and subunit interactions of transcription factor IIIC revealed by dissection with poliovirus 3C protease

Transcription factor IIIC (TFIIIC) is a general RNA polymerase III transcription factor that binds the B-box internal promotor element of tRNA genes and the complex of TFIIIA with a 5S rRNA gene. TFIIIC then directs the binding of TFIIIB to DNA upstream of the transcription start site. TFIIIB in turn directs RNA polymerase III binding and initiation. Human TFIIIC contains five different subunits. The 243-kDa alpha subunit can be specifically cross-linked to B-box DNA, but its sequence does not reveal a known DNA binding domain. During poliovirus infection, TFIIIC is cleaved and inactivated by the poliovirus-encoded 3C protease (3Cpro). Here we analyzed the cleavage of TFIIIC subunits by 3Cpro in vitro and during poliovirus infection of HeLa cells. Analyses of the DNA binding activities of the resulting subcomplexes indicated that an N-terminal 83-kDa domain of the alpha subunit associates with the beta subunit to generate the TFIIIC DNA binding domain. Cleavage with 3Cpro also generated an approximately 125-kDa C-terminal fragment of the alpha subunit which remained associated with the gamma and epsilon subunits.

Inhibition of basal transcription by poliovirus: a virus- encoded protease (3Cpro) inhibits formation of TBP-TATA box complex in vitro

Host cell RNA polymerase II (pol II)-mediated transcription is inhibited by poliovirus infection. We demonstrate here that both TATA- and initiator-mediated basal transcription is inhibited in extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells. This inhibition can be reproduced by incubation of uninfected HeLa cell extracts with purified, recombinant poliovirus protease, 3Cpro. Transient-transfection assays demonstrate that 3Cpro, in the absence of other viral proteins, is able to inhibit cellular pol II-mediated transcription in vivo. Three lines of evidence suggest that inactivation of TATA-binding protein (TBP) is the major cause of inhibition of basal transcription by poliovirus. First, RNA pol II transcription in poliovirus-infected cell extract is fully restored by bacterially expressed TBP. Second, addition of purified TBP restores transcription in heat-treated nuclear extracts from mock- and virus-infected cells to identical levels. Finally, using a gel mobility shift assay, we demonstrate that incubation of TBP with the viral protease (3Cpro) inhibits its ability to bind TATA sequence in vitro. These results suggest that inhibition of pol II transcription in mammalian cells infected with poliovirus is, at least in part, due to the inability of modified TBP to bind pol II promoter sequences.

Expression of virus-encoded proteinases: functional and structural similarities with cellular enzymes

Many viruses express their genome, or part of their genome, initially as a polyprotein precursor that undergoes proteolytic processing. Molecular genetic analyses of viral gene expression have revealed that many of these processing events are mediated by virus-encoded proteinases. Biochemical activity studies and structural analyses of these viral enzymes reveal that they have remarkable similarities to cellular proteinases. However, the viral proteinases have evolved unique features that permit them to function in a cellular environment. In this article, the current status of plant and animal virus proteinases is described along with their role in the viral replication cycle. The reactions catalyzed by viral proteinases are not simple enzyme-substrate interactions; rather, the processing steps are highly regulated, are coordinated with other viral processes, and frequently involve the participation of other factors.

Identification of the cleavage site and determinants required for poliovirus 3CPro-catalyzed cleavage of human TATA-binding transcription factor TBP

Host cell RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription is inhibited by poliovirus infection. We have shown previously that the human TATA-binding protein (TBP), a general transcription factor required for transcription of all RNA polymerase II genes, is directly cleaved both in vitro and in vivo by the virus-coded protease 3CPro. 3CPro specifically cleaves glutamine-glycine bonds in the viral polyprotein. Cellular transcription factor TBP contains three glutamine-glycine sites, at amino acids 12, 18, and 108. By using site-directed mutagenesis, we determined that the glutamine-glycine bond at amino acid 18, but not that at amino acid 12 or 108, is cleaved by the viral protease. Both the glutamine and the glycine appear to be important for the cleavage. Further mutations around the glutamine-glycine site at position 18 suggest that determinants other than the glutamine-glycine bond in TBP are also required for 3CPro-induced cleavage. An alanine at position P4 and a proline at position P2, proximal to the scissile glutamine-glycine pair, appear to be important for 3CPro-mediated cleavage of TBP. Our results suggest that the cleavage specificity of 3CPro for a cellular transcription factor is very similar to its mode of cleavage of viral polyproteins.

Direct cleavage of human TATA-binding protein by poliovirus protease 3C in vivo and in vitro

Host cell RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated transcription is inhibited by poliovirus infection. This inhibition is correlated to a specific decrease in the activity of a chromatographic fraction which contains the transcription factor TFIID. To investigate the mechanism by which poliovirus infection results in a decrease of TFIID activity, we have analyzed a component of TFIID, the TATA-binding protein (TBP). Using Western immunoblot analysis, we show that TBP is cleaved in poliovirus-infected cells at the same time postinfection as when Pol II transcription is inhibited. Further, we show that one of the cleaved forms of TBP can be reproduced in vitro by incubating TBP with cloned, purified poliovirus encoded protease 3C. Protease 3C is a poliovirus-encoded protease that specifically cleaves glutamine-glycine bonds in the viral polyprotein. The cleavage of TBP by protease 3C occurs directly. Finally, incubation of an uninfected cell-derived TBP-containing fraction (TFIID) with protease 3C results in significant inhibition of Pol II-mediated transcription in vitro. These results demonstrate that a cellular transcription factor can be directly cleaved both in vitro and in vivo by a viral protease and suggest a role of the poliovirus proteinase 3C in host cell Pol II-mediated transcription shutoff.

Direct cleavage of human TATA-binding protein by poliovirus protease 3C in vivo and in vitro

Host cell RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated transcription is inhibited by poliovirus infection. This inhibition is correlated to a specific decrease in the activity of a chromatographic fraction which contains the transcription factor TFIID. To investigate the mechanism by which poliovirus infection results in a decrease of TFIID activity, we have analyzed a component of TFIID, the TATA-binding protein (TBP). Using Western immunoblot analysis, we show that TBP is cleaved in poliovirus-infected cells at the same time postinfection as when Pol II transcription is inhibited. Further, we show that one of the cleaved forms of TBP can be reproduced in vitro by incubating TBP with cloned, purified poliovirus encoded protease 3C. Protease 3C is a poliovirus-encoded protease that specifically cleaves glutamine-glycine bonds in the viral polyprotein. The cleavage of TBP by protease 3C occurs directly. Finally, incubation of an uninfected cell-derived TBP-containing fraction (TFIID) with protease 3C results in significant inhibition of Pol II-mediated transcription in vitro. These results demonstrate that a cellular transcription factor can be directly cleaved both in vitro and in vivo by a viral protease and suggest a role of the poliovirus proteinase 3C in host cell Pol II-mediated transcription shutoff.

Infection of HeLa cells with poliovirus results in modification of a complex that binds to the rRNA promoter

In HeLa cells, RNA polymerase I (Pol I)-mediated transcription is severely inhibited soon after infection with poliovirus. We have developed a gel retardation assay to analyze DNA-protein complexes formed at the Pol I promoter. We show here that two complexes (A and C) formed by nuclear extracts from uninfected cells disappear after infection of cells with poliovirus. In contrast, a new, rapidly migrating complex (D) is formed in virus-infected cell extract. This change in the mobility of gel-retarded complexes correlates well with the kinetics of inhibition of rRNA transcription in virus-infected cells. Incubation of nuclear extracts from mock-infected cells with bacterially expressed, purified poliovirus protease 3C results in the disappearance of complexes A and C with concomitant generation of complex D. A partially purified transcription factor fraction derived from uninfected cells that contains complex A is able to restore Pol I transcription when added to virus-infected cell extracts, suggesting that this complex plays an important role in Pol I transcription. These results suggest that poliovirus proteinase 3C may have an important role in the shutoff of Pol I transcription in cells infected with poliovirus.

A transcriptionally active form of TFIIIC is modified in poliovirus-infected HeLa cells

In HeLa cells, RNA polymerase III (pol III)-mediated transcription is severely inhibited by poliovirus infection. This inhibition is due primarily to the reduction in transcriptional activity of the pol III transcription factor TFIIIC in poliovirus-infected cells. However, the specific binding of TFIIIC to the VAI gene B-box sequence, as assayed by DNase I footprinting, is not altered by poliovirus infection. We have used gel retardation analysis to analyze TFIIIC-DNA complexes formed in nuclear extracts prepared from mock- and poliovirus-infected cells. In mock-infected cell extracts, two closely migrating TFIIIC-containing complexes, complexes I and II, were detected in the gel retardation assay. The slower migrating complex, complex I, was absent in poliovirus-infected cell extracts, and an increase occurred in the intensity of the faster-migrating complex (complex II). Also, in poliovirus-infected cell extracts, a new, rapidly migrating complex, complex III, was formed. Complex III may have been the result of limited proteolysis of complex I or II. These changes in TFIIIC-containing complexes in poliovirus-infected cell extracts correlated kinetically with the decrease in TFIIIC transcriptional activity. Complexes I, II, and III were chromatographically separated; only complex I was transcriptionally active and specifically restored pol III transcription when added to poliovirus-infected cell extracts. Acid phosphatase treatment partially converted complex I to complex II but did not affect the binding of complex II or III. Dephosphorylation and limited proteolysis of TFIIIC are discussed as possible mechanisms for the inhibition of pol III-mediated transcription by poliovirus.

A transcriptionally active form of TFIIIC is modified in poliovirus-infected HeLa cells

In HeLa cells, RNA polymerase III (pol III)-mediated transcription is severely inhibited by poliovirus infection. This inhibition is due primarily to the reduction in transcriptional activity of the pol III transcription factor TFIIIC in poliovirus-infected cells. However, the specific binding of TFIIIC to the VAI gene B-box sequence, as assayed by DNase I footprinting, is not altered by poliovirus infection. We have used gel retardation analysis to analyze TFIIIC-DNA complexes formed in nuclear extracts prepared from mock- and poliovirus-infected cells. In mock-infected cell extracts, two closely migrating TFIIIC-containing complexes, complexes I and II, were detected in the gel retardation assay. The slower migrating complex, complex I, was absent in poliovirus-infected cell extracts, and an increase occurred in the intensity of the faster-migrating complex (complex II). Also, in poliovirus-infected cell extracts, a new, rapidly migrating complex, complex III, was formed. Complex III may have been the result of limited proteolysis of complex I or II. These changes in TFIIIC-containing complexes in poliovirus-infected cell extracts correlated kinetically with the decrease in TFIIIC transcriptional activity. Complexes I, II, and III were chromatographically separated; only complex I was transcriptionally active and specifically restored pol III transcription when added to poliovirus-infected cell extracts. Acid phosphatase treatment partially converted complex I to complex II but did not affect the binding of complex II or III. Dephosphorylation and limited proteolysis of TFIIIC are discussed as possible mechanisms for the inhibition of pol III-mediated transcription by poliovirus.

Loss of a phosphorylated form of transcription factor CREB/ATF in poliovirus-infected cells

Host cell RNA synthesis is inhibited by poliovirus infection. We have studied the mechanism of poliovirus-induced inhibition of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription by using the adenovirus early region 3 (E3) promoter. In vitro transcription from the E3 promoter was severely inhibited in extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells. Four regions in the E3 promoter have been shown to serve as binding sites for cellular transcription factors. These regions contain binding sites for transcription factors NF-1 (site IV), AP-1 (site III), CREB/ATF (site II), and the TATA factor (site I). Binding to these four regions was not significantly altered by poliovirus infection as assayed by DNase I footprinting analysis; furthermore, gel retardation assays failed to reveal dramatic differences in the total amount of CREB/ATF-, AP-1-, and NF-1-binding activity present in mock- or poliovirus-infected cell extracts. Gel retardation assays, however, did reveal significant qualitative differences in the DNA-protein complexes formed with a CREB/ATF-binding site in extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected cells as compared to mock-infected cell extracts. Radioimmunoprecipitation reactions performed with antiserum against CREB/ATF revealed a severe reduction in a phosphorylated form of the protein present in poliovirus-infected cell extracts. However, in vitro kinase reactions demonstrated that mock- and poliovirus-infected cell extracts contained similar levels of CREB/ATF. Expression from the E3 promoter was shown to be activated by CREB/ATF in vivo; this induction was dependent upon the phosphorylation of CREB/ATF. Thus, we propose that poliovirus infection inhibits transcription from the E3 promoter, at least in part, through the dephosphorylation of CREB/ATF.

Expression of cellular genes in CD4 positive lymphoid cells infected by the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-1: evidence for a host protein synthesis shut-off induced by cellular mRNA degradation

We have investigated the effects of HIV-1 infection on cellular gene expression in two different human CD4 positive lymphoid cell lines: CEM and C8166 cells. As a prerequisite for this study it was necessary to develop virus-cell culture systems in which greater than 90% of the cells could be near synchronously infected by HIV-1. Further, since HIV-1 is a cytopathic virus, it was essential that cellular gene expression be examined in virus-infected cells which remained viable. After meeting these requirements, we measured cellular RNA and protein levels in virus-infected lymphocytes. In the cell lines examined the levels of cellular protein synthesis markedly decreased at times when viral-specific protein synthesis was increasing. Both Northern and slot blot analysis revealed that the declines in host protein synthesis were due, at least in part, to declines in steady state levels of cellular mRNAs. Runoff assays with nuclei isolated from infected cells demonstrated that the decreases in cellular mRNA levels were not due to declines in cellular RNA polymerase II transcription rates. To determine if the decreases in cellular protein synthesis also might be due to specific translational controls exerted by HIV-1, we compared the polysome association of cellular RNAs in infected and uninfected C8166 cells. The polysome distribution of cellular mRNAs was virtually identical in mock- and HIV-1-infected cells although, as expected, the total amount of cellular mRNAs were significantly lower in virus-infected cells. Taken together, these results suggest that HIV-1 may encode mechanisms to inhibit cellular protein synthesis, likely as a result of cellular mRNA degradation, rather than specific blocks in cellular mRNA translation.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus protease 3C induces specific proteolytic cleavage of host cell histone H3

In foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)-infected cells, the disappearance of nuclear protein histone H3 and the simultaneous appearance of a new chromatin-associated protein termed Pi can be observed (P. R. Grigera and S. G. Tisminetzky, Virology 136:10-19, 1984). We sequenced the amino terminus of protein Pi and showed that Pi derives from histone H3 by proteolytic cleavage. The 20 N-terminal amino acid residues of histone H3 are specifically cleaved off early during infection. Truncated histone H3 remains chromatin associated. In addition, we showed that the histone H3-Pi transition is catalyzed by the FMDV 3C protease. The only known function of the viral 3C protease was, until now, the processing of the viral polyprotein. The viral 3C protease is the only FMDV protein required to induce the histone H3-Pi transition, as well as being the only viral protein capable of cleaving histone H3. No viral precursor fusion protein is needed for this specific cleavage as was reported for the processing of the poliovirus P1 precursor polyprotein by 3C/D protease. As the deleted part of the histone H3 corresponds to the presumed regulatory domain involved in the regulation of transcriptionally active chromatin in eucaryotes, it seems possible that this specific cleavage of histone H3 is related to the host cell transcription shutoff reported for several picornaviruses.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus protease 3C inhibits cellular transcription and mediates cleavage of histone H3

Foot-and-mouth disease virus protease 3C is essential for the processing of the viral precursor polyprotein. It is shown here to also inhibit gene expression in baby hamster kidney cells after transient expression from transfected cDNA fragments. Protease 3C could not be detected by indirect immunofluorescence in contrast to other cDNA-encoded virus proteins, but protein synthesized de novo 16 hr after transfection could be detected by radioimmunoprecipitation. The cellular translation apparatus was, therefore, not inhibited. The enzyme, although produced as part of a fusion protein, was in size indistinguishable from that found in virus-infected cells. This suggested that the enzyme was released by autocatalysis from the recombinant fusion protein and from viral precursor protein in a similar manner. Transcription of protease 3C-encoding cDNA fragments as well as that of cotransfected fragments, which do not encode protease 3C, was inhibited as determined by hybridization assays. The shut off of transcription which was one of the cytopathic effects observed in virus-infected cells therefore correlates with the production of transactive protease 3C. The inhibitory molecular mechanism may involve truncation of the nuclear protein histone H3 at its N-terminus since this protein was found similarly truncated in virus-infected cells and after transfer of 3C-encoding cDNA fragments.

Inhibition of rRNA synthesis by poliovirus: specific inactivation of transcription factors

Synthesis of rRNA by RNA polymerase I is almost completely inhibited soon after infection of human cells with poliovirus. We show that extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells are severely inhibited in their ability to transcribe from a human rDNA promoter compared with extracts from mock-infected cells. Two lines of evidence presented here suggest that a specific transcriptional activity required for rDNA transcription in vitro is impaired in virus-infected cells. First, fractionation of individual transcriptional components by phosphocellulose chromatography and subsequent reconstitution experiments showed that the specific transcriptional activity of fraction C (0.8 M KCl eluate) from virus-infected cells was reduced three- to fourfold relative to that isolated from mock-infected cells. The activities of other transcription factors needed for in vitro transcription from the rDNA promoter were unaffected. Second, fraction C derived from mock-infected cells specifically restored transcription in extracts prepared from virus-infected cells. Fraction C contained both a nonspecific RNA polymerase I elongation activity and a specific factor activity which was needed for accurate transcription initiation. It is the specific transcriptional activity and not the nonspecific chain elongation activity of fraction C that is affected in cells infected with poliovirus.

Modification of an adenovirus major late promoter-binding factor during poliovirus infection

To further characterize the mechanism involved in poliovirus-induced inhibition of HeLa cells mRNA synthesis, in vitro formation of DNA-protein complexes between nuclear upstream stimulatory transcription factor (USF) and the adenovirus type 2 major late promoter upstream promoter element (UPE; located between -45 and -65 base pairs) was studied. Using the gel shift assay, we found differences between the UPE-protein complex formed with partially purified nuclear extracts from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells and that obtained in the presence of mock-infected extracts. Formation of the modified UPE-USF complex coincided with virus-induced inhibition of host cell RNA synthesis in vivo and with a less efficient in vitro transcriptional activity of the nuclear extracts from infected cells. Furthermore, using a cross-linking protocol, we found that the host 46-kilodalton UPE-binding USF factor was severely diminished and that a virus-induced or -modified 50-kilodalton polypeptide appeared to be specifically bound to the UPE template.

Clinical and experimental aspects of viral myocarditis

Picornaviruses are frequently implicated as the etiological agents of acute myocarditis. This association is based historically on serological evidence of rising antibody titers to specific pathogens and more recently on identification of viral genomic material in endocardial biopsy specimens through in situ hybridization. Only rarely is infectious virus isolated from either the patient or the heart during periods of maximum myocardial inflammation and injury. Thus, despite a probable viral etiology, much interest centers on the role of the immune system in cardiac damage and the likelihood that the infection triggers an autoimmune response to heart-specific antigens. Heart-reactive antibodies and T cells are found in most myocarditis patients, and immunosuppressive therapy has proven beneficial in many, though not all, cases. Furthermore, murine models of coxsackievirus group B type 3-induced myocarditis also demonstrate that virus infection initiates autoimmunity and that these autoimmune effectors are predominately responsible for tissue injury. How virus-host interactions overcome presumed self-tolerance to heart antigens is discussed, and evidence supporting various theories of virus-initiated autoimmunity and disease pathogenesis are delineated.

An RNA polymerase II transcription factor inactivated in poliovirus-infected cells copurifies with transcription factor TFIID

Inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription by poliovirus infection was studied in vitro. Whole-cell extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells at 3 h postinfection were shown to be deficient in a factor required for specific transcription from the adenovirus major late promoter. Three lines of evidence suggest that transcription factor TFIID is deficient in poliovirus-infected cells. First, the activity required to specifically restore transcription in poliovirus-infected cell extracts was shown to copurify with TFIID through three chromatographic steps. Second, transcription reactions reconstituted with phosphocellulose-derived chromatographic fractions revealed a fourfold decrease in the specific activity of the TFIID-containing fraction prepared from poliovirus-infected cells compared with that of the same fraction prepared from mock-infected cells. Finally, TFIID and the activity required to specifically restore transcription in virus-infected cell extracts were shown to have the same kinetics of heat inactivation. Together, these results suggest that inactivation of TFIID is an early event in the inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase II transcription by poliovirus.

Modification of membrane permeability by animal viruses

Animal viruses modify membrane permeability during lytic infection. There is a co-entry of macromolecules and virion particules during virus penetration and a drastic change in transport and membrane permeability at the late stages of the lytic cycle. Both events are of importance to understand different molecular aspects of viral infection, as virus entry into the cell and the interference of virus infection with cellular metabolism. Other methods of cell permeabilization of potential relevance to understand the mechanism of viral damage of the membrane are also discussed.

An RNA polymerase II transcription factor inactivated in poliovirus-infected cells copurifies with transcription factor TFIID

Inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription by poliovirus infection was studied in vitro. Whole-cell extracts prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells at 3 h postinfection were shown to be deficient in a factor required for specific transcription from the adenovirus major late promoter. Three lines of evidence suggest that transcription factor TFIID is deficient in poliovirus-infected cells. First, the activity required to specifically restore transcription in poliovirus-infected cell extracts was shown to copurify with TFIID through three chromatographic steps. Second, transcription reactions reconstituted with phosphocellulose-derived chromatographic fractions revealed a fourfold decrease in the specific activity of the TFIID-containing fraction prepared from poliovirus-infected cells compared with that of the same fraction prepared from mock-infected cells. Finally, TFIID and the activity required to specifically restore transcription in virus-infected cell extracts were shown to have the same kinetics of heat inactivation. Together, these results suggest that inactivation of TFIID is an early event in the inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase II transcription by poliovirus.

The adenovirus tripartite leader may eliminate the requirement for cap-binding protein complex during translation initiation

The adenovirus tripartite leader is a 200-nucleotide 5' noncoding region that is found on all late viral mRNAs. This segment is required for preferential translation of viral mRNAs at late times during infection. Most tripartite leader-containing mRNAs appear to exhibit little if any requirement for intact cap-binding protein complex, a property previously established only for uncapped poliovirus mRNAs and capped mRNAs with minimal secondary structure. The tripartite leader also permits the translation of mRNAs in poliovirus-infected cells in the apparent absence of active cap-binding protein complex and does not require any adenovirus gene products for this activity. The preferential translation of viral late mRNAs may involve this unusual property.

Inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase III-mediated transcription by poliovirus: inactivation of specific transcription factors

The inhibition of transcription by RNA polymerase III in poliovirus-infected cells was studied. Experiments utilizing two different cell lines showed that the initiation step of transcription by RNA polymerase III was impaired by infection of these cells with the virus. The observed inhibition of transcription was not due to shut-off of host cell protein synthesis by poliovirus. Among four distinct components required for accurate transcription in vitro from cloned DNA templates, activities of RNA polymerase III and transcription factor TFIIIA were not significantly affected by virus infection. The activity of transcription factor TFIIIC, the limiting component required for transcription of RNA polymerase III genes, was severely inhibited in infected cells, whereas that of transcription factor TFIIIB was inhibited to a lesser extent. The sequence-specific DNA-binding of TFIIIC to the adenovirus VA1 gene internal promoter, however, was not altered by infection of cells with the virus. We conclude that (i) at least two transcription factors, TFIIIB and TFIIIC, are inhibited by infection of cells with poliovirus, (ii) inactivation of TFIIIC does not involve destruction of its DNA-binding domain, and (iii) sequence-specific DNA binding by TFIIIC may be necessary but is not sufficient for the formation of productive transcription complexes.

Insulin mRNA content in pancreatic beta cells of coxsackievirus B4-induced diabetic mice

Molecular hybridization was used to measure poly(A)-containing mRNA and insulin mRNA, and to evaluate viral persistence, in pancreatic beta cells of coxsackievirus B4-induced diabetic mice. Cellular RNA was hybridized with [3H]poly(U) to measure poly(A)-containing total mRNA, 32P-labeled preproinsulin I and II probes to measure insulin mRNA, and a 32P-labeled virus-specific probe to evaluate persistence. The infected mice (80-90%) showed subnormal blood glucose at 72 h postinfection and were hyperglycemic at 6 and 8 weeks. Poly(A)-containing total mRNA decreased by about 26% at 72 h and 6 weeks and by 49% at 8 weeks, while preproinsulin I mRNA by 30% and preproinsulin II by 46% at 8 weeks postinfection compared to control. Viral sequences were abundant at 72 h and in fair amounts later. It appears that persistent viral infection produces a pathological state, which impairs beta cell function to reduce insulin mRNA and consequently insulin synthesis apparently leading to hyperglycemia.

Inhibition of host cell RNA polymerase III-mediated transcription by poliovirus: inactivation of specific transcription factors

The inhibition of transcription by RNA polymerase III in poliovirus-infected cells was studied. Experiments utilizing two different cell lines showed that the initiation step of transcription by RNA polymerase III was impaired by infection of these cells with the virus. The observed inhibition of transcription was not due to shut-off of host cell protein synthesis by poliovirus. Among four distinct components required for accurate transcription in vitro from cloned DNA templates, activities of RNA polymerase III and transcription factor TFIIIA were not significantly affected by virus infection. The activity of transcription factor TFIIIC, the limiting component required for transcription of RNA polymerase III genes, was severely inhibited in infected cells, whereas that of transcription factor TFIIIB was inhibited to a lesser extent. The sequence-specific DNA-binding of TFIIIC to the adenovirus VA1 gene internal promoter, however, was not altered by infection of cells with the virus. We conclude that (i) at least two transcription factors, TFIIIB and TFIIIC, are inhibited by infection of cells with poliovirus, (ii) inactivation of TFIIIC does not involve destruction of its DNA-binding domain, and (iii) sequence-specific DNA binding by TFIIIC may be necessary but is not sufficient for the formation of productive transcription complexes.

Modification of RNA polymerase IIO subspecies after poliovirus infection

Infection of HeLa cells with poliovirus results in a shutdown of host transcription. In an effort to understand the mechanism(s) that underlies this process, we analyzed the distribution of RNA polymerase IIO before and after viral infection. Analysis of free and chromatin-bound enzyme indicated that there is a significant reduction in RNA polymerase IIO following infection. This observation, together with increasing evidence that transcription is catalyzed by RNA polymerase IIO, supports the hypothesis that poliovirus-induced inhibition of host transcription occurs at the level of RNA chain initiation and involves the direct modification of RNA polymerase II.

Partial purification of plant transcription factors. II. An in vitro transcription system is inefficient

Crude wheat germ nuclear extracts contain many inhibitors of transcription which need to be removed before an active system can be developed. Using ion exchange column chromatography to resolve RNA polymerase II transcription components we can identify at least four fractions required for transcription by their ability to interact with, or substitute for, particular HeLa fractions. Inhibitors can be removed by a second or third chromatographic process applied to each fraction. Two plant fractions can each effectively replace the corresponding fraction in a HeLa transcription system, and the wheat fractions can work together and replace two HeLa fractions. These plant factors chromatograph identically to HeLa factors on ion exchange columns. The third fraction does not fully substitute for the corresponding HeLa fraction, but can complement this HeLa fraction when both are added at half-optimal levels. An in vitro plant system consisting of four plant chromatographic fractions will selectively transcribe a gene, but only at very low efficiency. The apparent block to greater efficiency is in elongation of the RNA past the 20-30n size.

Partial purification of plant transcription factors. I. Initiation

Crude plant cell protein extracts prepared from wheat germ are inactive for in vitro transcription by RNA polymerase II. These extracts do, however, have correct initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Initiation is monitored by measuring the formation of transcription complexes in vitro. A nuclear extract produces more initiation events than a whole cell extract or a cytosol extract. Some factors necessary for initiation can be separated from other proteins, including inhibitors, by ion exchange column chromatography. One specific fraction is sufficient for the formation of transcription complexes and several other fractions may be stimulatory or accessory factors.

Temperature-sensitive herpes simplex virus type 1 mutants defective in the shutoff of cellular DNA synthesis and host polypeptide synthesis

Two temperature-sensitive herpes simplex virus type 1 mutants, ts 1-8 and ts 199, belonging to different complementation groups, were isolated. Both mutants were defective in the shutoff of host DNA synthesis at 39.5 degrees C (nonpermissive temperature). ts 1-8 exhibited intermediate levels of viral DNA synthesis at 39.5 degrees C, while ts 199 was completely deficient in viral DNA synthesis at 39.5 degrees C. Comparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the ts 1-8, ts 199 and wild-type viral-coded polypeptides and cellular proteins produced in vivo at 34 degrees C and 39.5 degrees C during various periods post infection was performed. The results indicated that ts 1-8 and ts 199 were temperature-sensitive for the secondary suppression of host polypeptide synthesis. Production of the beta (early) and gamma (late) viral polypeptides was slightly delayed in the mutant-infected cells at early times post infection at both 34 degrees C and 39.5 degrees C. This delayed protein production was not evident at later times post-infection. The ts 1-8 and ts 199 mutants were distinct from the HSV-1 viron-associated host shutoff (vhs) mutants of Read and Frenkel (J. Virol. 46 (1983) 498).

The inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis in encephalomyocarditis virus-infected L929 cells: effects on nucleoside transport

Picornavirus infection induces a profound inhibition of labelling of newly synthesized RNA in some cell lines. EMC virus blocks transcription in L929 cells, particularly at early times during infection. This inhibition is not dependent on virus gene expression, since it occurs with UV-inactivated virus and also in the presence of translation inhibitors. The inhibition can be largely accounted for by the blockade of [3H]nucleoside transport, as suggested by the transport kinetics and incorporation of labelled nucleoside from preloaded cells. The inhibition of transport and incorporation into TCA-precipitable material was observed with pyrimidine (uridine, thymidine and cytosine) and purine nucleosides (adenosine and guanosine), but the blockade by EMC virus was higher with the latter nucleosides. Preloading of cells with any of these nucleosides resulted in a decreased effect on nucleoside incorporation into nucleic acid after virus infection. These results suggest that the inhibition of incorporation of labelled nucleosides into nucleic acid in EMC virus-infected cells can be explained, at least in part, by the decreased pool size of the phosphorylated nucleosides. These effects are not specific for L cells, because they are also observed in other cell lines.

Metabolism and expression of RNA polymerase II transcripts in influenza virus-infected cells

Influenza virus infection has adverse effects on the metabolism of two representative RNA polymerase II transcripts in chicken embryo fibroblasts, those coding for beta-actin and for avian leukosis virus (ALV) proteins. Proviral ALV DNA was integrated into host cell DNA by prior infection with ALV. Within 1 h after influenza virus infection, the rate of transcription of beta-actin and ALV sequences decreased 40 to 60%, as determined by labeling the cells for 5 min with [3H]uridine and by in vitro, runoff assays with isolated nuclei. The transcripts that continued to be synthesized did not appear in the cytoplasm as mature mRNAs, and the kinetics of labeling of these transcripts strongly suggest that they were degraded in the nucleus. By S1 endonuclease assay, it was confirmed that nuclear ALV transcripts disappeared very early after infection, already decreasing ca. 80% by 1 h postinfection. A plausible explanation for this nuclear degradation is that the viral cap-dependent endonuclease in the nucleus cleaves the 5' ends of new polymerase II transcripts, rendering the resulting decapped RNAs susceptible to hydrolysis by cellular nucleases. In contrast to the nuclear transcripts, cytoplasmic beta-actin and ALV mRNAs, which are synthesized before infection, were more stable and did not decrease in amount until after 3 h postinfection. Similar stability of cytoplasmic host cell mRNAs was observed in infected HeLa cells, in which the levels of actin mRNA and two HeLa cell mRNAs (pHe 7 and pHe 28) remained at undiminished levels for 3 h of infection and decreased only slightly by 4.5 h postinfection. The cytoplasmic actin and pHe 7 mRNAs isolated from infected HeLa cells were shown to be translated in reticulocyte extracts in vitro, indicating that host mRNAs were not inactivated by a virus-induced modification. Despite the continued presence of high levels of functional host cell mRNAs, host cell protein synthesis was effectively shut off by about 3 h postinfection in both chicken embryo fibroblasts and HeLa cells. These results are consistent with the establishment of an influenza virus-specific translational system that selectively translates viral and not host mRNAs.