A conserved carboxy-terminal domain in the major tegument structural protein VP22 facilitates virion packaging of a chimeric protein during productive herpes simplex virus 1 infection

VP8, the Major Tegument Protein of Bovine Herpesvirus-1, Is Partially Packaged during Early Tegument Formation in a VP22-Dependent Manner

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) is a major cause of rhinotracheitis and vulvovaginitis in cattle. VP8, the major tegument protein of BoHV-1, is essential for viral replication in the host. VP8 is phosphorylated by the viral kinase US3, mediating its translocation to the cytoplasm. VP8 remains nuclear when not phosphorylated. Interestingly, VP8 has a significant presence in mature BoHV-1YmVP8, in which the VP8 phosphorylation sites are mutated. This suggests that VP8 might be packaged during primary envelopment of BoHV-1. This was investigated by mass spectrometry and Western blotting, which showed VP8, as well as VP22, to be constituents of the primary enveloped virions. VP8 and VP22 were shown to interact via co-immunoprecipitation experiments, in both BoHV-1-infected and VP8-transfected cells. VP8 and VP22 also co-localised with one another and with nuclear lamin-associated protein 2 in BoHV-1-infected cells, suggesting an interaction between VP8 and VP22 in the perinuclear region. In cells infected with VP22-deleted BoHV-1 (BoHV-1ΔUL49), VP8 was absent from the primary enveloped virions, implying that VP22 might be critical for the early packaging of VP8. In conclusion, a novel VP22-dependent mechanism for packaging of VP8 was identified, which may be responsible for a significant amount of VP8 in the viral particle.

Alphaherpesvirus Major Tegument Protein VP22: Its Precise Function in the Viral Life Cycle

Alphaherpesviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause a variety of diseases in humans and animals and severely damage health. Alphaherpesvirus infection is a slow and orderly process that can lie dormant for the lifetime of the host but may be reactivated when the immune system is compromised. All alphaherpesviruses feature a protein layer called the tegument that lies between the capsid and the envelope. Virus protein (VP) 22 is one of the most highly expressed tegument proteins; there are more than 2,000 copies of this protein in each viral particle. VP22 can interact with viral proteins, cellular proteins, and chromatin, and these interactions play important roles. This review summarizes the latest literature and discusses the roles of VP22 in viral gene transcription, protein synthesis, virion assembly, and viral cell-to-cell spread with the purpose of enhancing understanding of the life cycle of herpesviruses and other pathogens in host cells. The molecular interaction information herein provides important reference data.

Virion incorporation of the herpes simplex virus type 1 tegument protein VP22 is facilitated by trans-Golgi network localization and is independent of interaction with glycoprotein E

HSV-1 virions contain a proteinaceous layer termed the tegument that lies between the nucleocapsid and viral envelope. The molecular mechanisms that facilitate incorporation of tegument proteins are poorly characterized. The tegument protein VP22 interacts with VP16 and the cytoplasmic tail of glycoprotein E (gE). Virion incorporation of VP22 occurs independently of interaction with VP16; however, the contribution of gE binding remains undefined. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to identify VP22 mutants which abrogate interaction with gE but retain VP16 binding. Virion incorporation assays demonstrated that failure to bind gE did not abrogate VP22 packaging. A region of VP22 which binds to both VP16 and gE failed to be packaged efficiently, with wild-type levels of incorporation only attained when residues 43-86 of VP22 were present. Mutational analysis of an acidic cluster of amino acids within this region indicates that this motif facilitates trans-Golgi network (TGN) localization and optimal virion incorporation of VP22.