Bovine papillomavirus type 1 E2 protein heterodimer is functional in papillomavirus DNA replication in vivo

Functions of Papillomavirus E8^E2 Proteins in Tissue Culture and In Vivo

Papillomaviruses (PV) replicate in undifferentiated keratinocytes at low levels and to high levels in differentiated cells. The restricted replication in undifferentiated cells is mainly due to the expression of the conserved viral E8^E2 repressor protein, a fusion protein consisting of E8 and the hinge, DNA-binding, and dimerization domain of E2. E8^E2 binds to viral genomes and represses viral transcription and genome replication by recruiting cellular NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 corepressor complexes. Tissue culture experiments have revealed that E8^E2 modulates long-term maintenance of extrachromosomal genomes, productive replication, and immortalization properties in a virus type-dependent manner. Furthermore, in vivo experiments have indicated that Mus musculus PV1 E8^E2 is required for tumor formation in immune-deficient mice. In summary, E8^E2 is a crucial inhibitor whose levels might determine the outcome of PV infections.

Control of viral replication and transcription by the papillomavirus E8^E2 protein

Human papillomaviruses have adjusted their replication levels to the differentiation state of the infected keratinocyte. PV genomes replicate in undifferentiated cells at low levels and to high levels in differentiated cells. Genome replication requires the viral E1 helicase and the viral E2 transcription/replication activator. The limited replication in undifferentiated cells is predominantly due to the expression of the highly conserved E8^E2 viral repressor protein, which is a fusion between E8 and the C-terminal half of the E2 protein. E8^E2 is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein that inhibits viral gene expression and viral genome replication. The E8 domain is required for repression activities, which are mainly due to the interaction with cellular NCoR/SMRT corepressor complexes. In the case of HPV16, the most carcinogenic HPV type, E8^E2 not only limits genome replication in undifferentiated cells but also productive replication in differentiated epithelium. E8^E2 is expressed from a separate promoter that is controlled by unknown cellular factors and the viral transcription and replication regulators E1, E2 and E8^E2. In summary, E8^E2 is an important negative regulator whose levels may be critical for the outcome of HPV infections.

Conservation of the E8 CDS of the E8^E2 protein among mammalian papillomaviruses

Papillomaviridae are small dsDNA viruses with a limited coding capacity. To fulfill all of the functional requirements for propagation and spreading, papillomaviruses use double coding and alternative protein isoforms. E8 ^ E2 is an alternative E2 protein isoform that is generated by fusing the short E8 CDS that completely overlaps E1 to the 'hinge' and the DNA-binding region of the E2 protein via alternative transcription/splicing. The papillomaviruses in which E8 ^ E2 mRNA sequences have been described exhibit a sparse phylogenomic distribution. Thus, it is not clear whether E8 ^ E2 is an ancestral protein that has not been described for other papillomavirus types or whether it randomly appears because of the conservation of the E1 protein and occurs only coincidentally. We searched for potential E8 coding sequences in a non-redundant set of papillomaviruses and applied SynPlot2 and an in-house-developed algorithm (cRegions) to determine the most plausible of the above-mentioned scenarios. Beginning with nine experimentally described E8 ^ E2 mRNAs, we predicted the potential E8 CDSs for more than 300 mammalian papillomavirus genomes. According to our analysis, E8 ^ E2 is not a result of E1 coding and represents a protein in its own right, and it most likely has an ancestral origin that precedes the divergence of major mammalian papillomavirus genera.

Characterization of the nuclear matrix targeting sequence (NMTS) of the BPV1 E8/E2 protein--the shortest known NMTS

Technological advantages in sequencing and proteomics have revealed the remarkable diversity of alternative protein isoforms. Typically, the localization and functions of these isoforms are unknown and cannot be predicted. Also the localization signals leading to particular subnuclear compartments have not been identified and thus, predicting alternative functions due to alternative subnuclear localization is limited only to very few subnuclear compartments. Knowledge of the localization and function of alternative protein isoforms allows for a greater understanding of cellular complexity. In this article, we characterize a short and well-defined signal targeting the bovine papillomavirus type 1 E8/E2 protein to the nuclear matrix. The targeting signal comprises the peptide coded by E8 ORF, which is spliced together with part of the E2 ORF to generate the E8/E2 mRNA. Localization to the nuclear matrix correlates well with the transcription repression activities of E8/E2; a single point mutation directs the E8/E2 protein into the nucleoplasm, and transcription repression activity is lost. Our data prove that adding as few as ˜10 amino acids by alternative transcription/alternative splicing drastically alters the function and subnuclear localization of proteins. To our knowledge, E8 is the shortest known nuclear matrix targeting signal.

The papillomavirus E2 proteins

The papillomavirus E2 proteins are pivotal to the viral life cycle and have well characterized functions in transcriptional regulation, initiation of DNA replication and partitioning the viral genome. The E2 proteins also function in vegetative DNA replication, post-transcriptional processes and possibly packaging. This review describes structural and functional aspects of the E2 proteins and their binding sites on the viral genome. It is intended to be a reference guide to this viral protein.

Genetic analysis of the E2 transactivation domain dimerization interface from bovine papillomavirus type 1

The bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1) E2 protein binds as a dimer to the viral genome to promote its transcription, replication and maintenance in keratinocytes. Although BPV1 E2 dimerizes primarily through its DNA-binding domain, it was shown previously that its transactivation domain (TAD) can also dimerize in vitro through formation of a disulfide bond between cysteine 57 (C57) of adjacent monomers and of an ion pair between arginine 172 (R172) and aspartic acid 175 (D175). The function of this TAD dimerization interface in vivo remains unknown. Here, we report the effects of substituting C57, R172 and D175 by alanine on the transactivation activity of BPV E2 as well as on its ability to support viral DNA replication using a novel luciferase-based assay. Results for this mutational analysis suggest that the TAD dimerization interface is not essential for either process but may contribute to the DNA replication activity of BPV1 E2.

In planta production of a candidate vaccine against bovine papillomavirus type 1

Bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) is an economically important virus that induces tumourigenic pathologies in horses and cows. Given that the BPV-1 L1 major coat protein can self-assemble into highly immunogenic higher-order structures, we transiently expressed it in Nicotiana benthamiana as a prelude to producing a candidate vaccine. It was found that plant codon optimization of L1 gave higher levels of expression than its non-optimized counterpart. Following protein extraction, we obtained high yields (183 mg/kg fresh weight leaf tissue) of relatively pure L1, which had self-assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs). We found that these VLPs elicited a highly specific and strong immune response, and therefore they may have utility as a potential vaccine. This is the first report demonstrating the viable production of a candidate BPV vaccine protein in plants.

Human papillomavirus E2 protein with single activation domain initiates HPV18 genome replication, but is not sufficient for long-term maintenance of virus genome

The papillomavirus life cycle is regulated by a family of proteins encoded by the E2 open reading frame; E2 proteins regulate viral gene expression, DNA replication and genome maintenance. We have previously shown that the bovine papillomavirus (BPV1) full-length E2 protein forms heterodimers with repressor forms of E2, and these E2 heterodimers serve as activators of transcription and replication during the viral life cycle. In the present study, using the single-chain E2 heterodimer as a model, we show that human papillomavirus (HPV) 11 and 18 E2 heterodimers with single activation domain are able to initiate replication of URR-containing plasmid in transient assay. Single-chain E2 heterodimer in the context of HPV18 genome initiates genome replication, but is not sufficient for long-term replication of HPV18 genome. We also show that HPV18 genome has a capacity to encode truncated E2 repressor E8/E2 which acts as a negative regulator of HPV18 genome replication.

Interaction of Vpx and apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide 3 family member A (APOBEC3A) correlates with efficient lentivirus infection of monocytes

The accessory protein Vpx is encoded by lentiviruses of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) and the simian immunodeficiency SIVsm/SIVmac lineage. It is packaged into virions and is indispensable in early steps of monocyte infection. HIV-1, which does not encode Vpx, is not able to infect human monocytes, but Vpx enables infection with HIV-1. The underlying mechanism is not completely understood. In this work, we focus on Vpx-mediated intracellular postentry events as counteraction of host cell proteins. We found that Vpx binds to apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide 3 family member A (APOBEC3A; A3A), a member of the family of cytidine deaminases, present in monocytes. This interaction led to a reduction of the steady-state protein level of A3A. A single-point mutation in Vpx (H82A) abrogated binding to A3A and single-round infection of monocytes by HIV-1. Taken together, our data indicate that lentiviral Vpx counteracts A3A in human monocytes.