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Chen Q, Zhou J, Yang Z, Guo J, Liu Z, Sun X, Jiang Q, Fang L, Wang D, Xiao S. An intermolecular salt bridge linking substrate binding and P1 substrate specificity switch of arterivirus 3C-like proteases. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:3409-3421. [PMID: 35832618 PMCID: PMC9271976 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.06.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Equine arteritis virus (EAV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) represent two members of the family Arteriviridae and pose a major threat to the equine- and swine-breeding industries throughout the world. Previously, we and others demonstrated that PRRSV 3C-like protease (3CLpro) had very high glutamic acid (Glu)-specificity at the P1 position (P1-Glu). Comparably, EAV 3CLpro exhibited recognition of both Glu and glutamine (Gln) at the P1 position. However, the underlying mechanisms of the P1 substrate specificity shift of arterivirus 3CLpro remain unclear. We systematically screened the specific amino acids in the S1 subsite of arterivirus 3CLpro using a cyclized luciferase-based biosensor and identified Gly116, His133 and Ser136 (using PRRSV 3CLpro numbering) are important for recognition of P1-Glu, whereas Ser136 is nonessential for recognition of P1-Gln. Molecular dynamics simulations and biochemical experiments highlighted that the PRRSV 3CLpro and EAV 3CLpro formed distinct S1 subsites for the P1 substrate specificity switch. Mechanistically, a specific intermolecular salt bridge between PRRSV 3CLpro and substrate P1-Glu (Lys138/P1-Glu) are invaluable for high Glu-specificity at the P1 position, and the exchange of K138T (salt bridge interruption, from PRRSV to EAV) shifted the specificity of PRRSV 3CLpro toward P1-Gln. In turn, the T139K exchange of EAV 3CLpro showed a noticeable shift in substrate specificity, such that substrates containing P1-Glu are likely to be recognized more efficiently. These findings identify an evolutionarily accessible mechanism for disrupting or reorganizing salt bridge with only a single mutation of arterivirus 3CLpro to trigger a substrate specificity switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Junwei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhixiang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jiahui Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zimin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xinyi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Qingshi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Liurong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Dang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shaobo Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
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Characterization of Self-Processing Activities and Substrate Specificities of Porcine Torovirus 3C-Like Protease. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.01282-20. [PMID: 32727876 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01282-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) of nidovirus plays an important role in viral replication and manipulation of host antiviral innate immunity, which makes it an ideal antiviral target. Here, we characterized that porcine torovirus (PToV; family Tobaniviridae, order Nidovirales) 3CLpro autocatalytically releases itself from the viral precursor protein by self-cleavage. Site-directed mutagenesis suggested that PToV 3CLpro, as a serine protease, employed His53 and Ser160 as the active-site residues. Interestingly, unlike most nidovirus 3CLpro, the P1 residue plays a less essential role in N-terminal self-cleavage of PToV 3CLpro Substituting either P1 or P4 residue of substrate alone has little discernible effect on N-terminal cleavage. Notably, replacement of the two residues together completely blocks N-terminal cleavage, suggesting that N-terminal self-cleavage of PToV 3CLpro is synergistically affected by both P1 and P4 residues. Using a cyclized luciferase-based biosensor, we systematically scanned the polyproteins for cleavage sites and identified (FXXQ↓A/S) as the main consensus sequences. Subsequent homology modeling and biochemical experiments suggested that the protease formed putative pockets S1 and S4 between the substrate. Indeed, mutants of both predicted S1 (D159A, H174A) and S4 (P62G/L185G) pockets completely lost the ability of cleavage activity of PToV 3CLpro In conclusion, the characterization of self-processing activities and substrate specificities of PToV 3CLpro will offer helpful information for the mechanism of nidovirus 3C-like proteinase's substrate specificities and the rational development of the antinidovirus drugs.IMPORTANCE Currently, the active-site residues and substrate specificities of 3C-like protease (3CLpro) differ among nidoviruses, and the detailed catalytic mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, porcine torovirus (PToV) 3CLpro cleaves 12 sites in the polyproteins, including its N- and C-terminal self-processing sites. Unlike coronaviruses and arteriviruses, PToV 3CLpro employed His53 and Ser160 as the active-site residues that recognize a glutamine (Gln) at the P1 position. Surprisingly, mutations of P1-Gln impaired the C-terminal self-processing but did not affect N-terminal self-processing. The "noncanonical" substrate specificity for its N-terminal self-processing was attributed to the phenylalanine (Phe) residue at the P4 position in the N-terminal site. Furthermore, a double glycine (neutral) substitution at the putative P4-Phe-binding residues (P62G/L185G) abolished the cleavage activity of PToV 3CLpro suggested the potential hydrophobic force between the PToV 3CLpro and P4-Phe side chains.
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Kanitz M, Blanck S, Heine A, Gulyaeva AA, Gorbalenya AE, Ziebuhr J, Diederich WE. Structural basis for catalysis and substrate specificity of a 3C-like cysteine protease from a mosquito mesonivirus. Virology 2019; 533:21-33. [PMID: 31078932 PMCID: PMC7111312 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Cavally virus (CavV) is a mosquito-borne plus-strand RNA virus in the family Mesoniviridae (order Nidovirales). We present X-ray structures for the CavV 3C-like protease (3CLpro), as a free enzyme and in complex with a peptide aldehyde inhibitor mimicking the P4-to-P1 residues of a natural substrate. The 3CLpro structure (refined to 1.94 Å) shows that the protein forms dimers. The monomers are comprised of N-terminal domains I and II, which adopt a chymotrypsin-like fold, and a C-terminal α-helical domain III. The catalytic Cys-His dyad is assisted by a complex network of interactions involving a water molecule that mediates polar contacts between the catalytic His and a conserved Asp located in the domain II-III junction and is suitably positioned to stabilize the developing positive charge of the catalytic His in the transition state during catalysis. The study also reveals the structural basis for the distinct P2 Asn-specific substrate-binding pocket of mesonivirus 3CLpros. First structure of a 3CLpro of an invertebrate RNA virus. Structural basis of the unique substrate specificity defined by Asn at the P2 position of mesonivirus 3CLpro substrates. Emerging role of a conserved Asp residue that assists the Cys-His catalytic dyad in vertebrate and invertebrate 3CLpros.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Kanitz
- Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany; Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Blanck
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andreas Heine
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anastasia A Gulyaeva
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander E Gorbalenya
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - John Ziebuhr
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Wibke E Diederich
- Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany; Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
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Durzynska I, Sauerwald M, Karl N, Madhugiri R, Ziebuhr J. Characterization of a bafinivirus exoribonuclease activity. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:1253-1260. [PMID: 30058998 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
White bream virus (WBV), a poorly characterized plus-strand RNA virus infecting freshwater fish of the Cyprinidae family, is the prototype species of the genus Bafinivirus in the subfamily Torovirinae (family Coronaviridae, order Nidovirales). In common with other nidoviruses featuring >20 kilobase genomes, bafiniviruses have been predicted to encode an exoribonuclease (ExoN) in their replicase gene. Here, we used information on the substrate specificity of bafinivirus 3C-like proteases to express WBV ExoN in an active form in Escherichia coli. The 374-residue protein displayed robust 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease activity in the presence of Mg2+ ions and, unlike its coronavirus homologues, did not require a protein cofactor for activity. Characterization of mutant forms of ExoN provided support for predictions on putative active-site and conserved zinc-binding residues. WBV ExoN was revealed to be most active on double-stranded RNA substrates containing one or two non-paired 3'-terminal nucleotides, supporting its presumed role in increasing the fidelity of the bafinivirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabela Durzynska
- 1Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University, Belfast, UK.,†Present address: Department of Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.,‡Present address: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Marc Sauerwald
- 2Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Nadja Karl
- 1Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University, Belfast, UK.,2Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - John Ziebuhr
- 2Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.,1Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
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Rappe JCF, de Wilde A, Di H, Müller C, Stalder H, V'kovski P, Snijder E, Brinton MA, Ziebuhr J, Ruggli N, Thiel V. Antiviral activity of K22 against members of the order Nidovirales. Virus Res 2018; 246:28-34. [PMID: 29337162 PMCID: PMC7114538 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Recently, a novel antiviral compound (K22) that inhibits replication of a broad range of animal and human coronaviruses was reported to interfere with viral RNA synthesis by impairing double-membrane vesicle (DMV) formation (Lundin et al., 2014). Here we assessed potential antiviral activities of K22 against a range of viruses representing two (sub)families of the order Nidovirales, the Arteriviridae (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus [PRRSV], equine arteritis virus [EAV] and simian hemorrhagic fever virus [SHFV]), and the Torovirinae (equine torovirus [EToV] and White Bream virus [WBV]). Possible effects of K22 on nidovirus replication were studied in suitable cell lines. K22 concentrations significantly decreasing infectious titres of the viruses included in this study ranged from 25 to 50 μM. Reduction of double-stranded RNA intermediates of viral replication in nidovirus-infected cells treated with K22 confirmed the anti-viral potential of K22. Collectively, the data show that K22 has antiviral activity against diverse lineages of nidoviruses, suggesting that the inhibitor targets a critical and conserved step during nidovirus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Christiane Françoise Rappe
- Institute for Virology and Immunology IVI, Mittelhäusern and Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Adriaan de Wilde
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Han Di
- Department of Biology, 623 Petit Science Center, Georgia State University, 161 Jesse Hill Jr Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States.
| | - Christin Müller
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Hanspeter Stalder
- Institute for Virology and Immunology IVI, Mittelhäusern and Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Philip V'kovski
- Institute for Virology and Immunology IVI, Mittelhäusern and Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Eric Snijder
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Margo A Brinton
- Department of Biology, 623 Petit Science Center, Georgia State University, 161 Jesse Hill Jr Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States.
| | - John Ziebuhr
- Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Nicolas Ruggli
- Institute for Virology and Immunology IVI, Mittelhäusern and Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Volker Thiel
- Institute for Virology and Immunology IVI, Mittelhäusern and Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
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Isolation and characterization of a novel mesonivirus from Culex mosquitoes in China. Virus Res 2017; 240:130-139. [PMID: 28823942 PMCID: PMC7125798 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A new insect nidovirus (named Yichang virus) from the family Mesoniviridae was isolated, identified, and characterized from Culex mosquitoes in Hubei, China. Results showed a high number of viral RNA copies (up to 1011 copies/ml) within 48 h in C6/36 cells. In addition, the titers of the Yichang virus reached maximal levels of 107 PFU/mL at 6 d post-infection (dpi). The virus produced moderate cytopathic effects when the multiplicity of infection ranged from 0.001–0.1 at 6 dpi, but did not replicate in mammalian cells. Under electron microscopy, the virion of the Yichang virus appeared as spherical particles with diameters of ∼80 nm and large club-shaped projections. Although subsequent genomic sequence analysis revealed that the Yichang virus had similar protein patterns as those of other mesoniviruses, the nucleotide acids shared less than 20% BLAST query coverage with known viruses in the family Mesoniviridae, and showed a maximum sequence identity of 67% for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The putative protein sequences showed slightly higher identity (28%–68%), and the most conserved domain was RdRp. Based on the phylogenetic and pairwise evolutionary distance analyses, the Yichang virus should be considered a new species belonging to a currently unassigned genus within the family Mesoniviridae.
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