Baculovirus VP1054 is an acquired cellular PURα, a nucleic acid-binding protein specific for GGN repeats

Multifaceted interactions between host ESCRT-III and budded virus-related proteins involved in entry and egress of the baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) is a conserved protein machine mediating membrane remodeling and scission. In the context of viral infection, different components of the ESCRT-III complex, which serve as the core machinery to catalyze membrane fission, are involved in diverse viruses' entry, replication, and/or budding. However, the interplay between ESCRT-III and viral factors in the virus life cycle, especially for that of large enveloped DNA viruses, is largely unknown. Recently, the ESCRT-III components Vps2B, Vps20, Vps24, Snf7, Vps46, and Vps60 were determined for entry and/or egress of the baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV). Here, we identified the final three ESCRT-III components Chm7, Ist1, and Vps2A of Spodoptera frugiperda. Overexpression of the dominant-negative forms of these proteins or RNAi downregulation of their transcripts significantly reduced infectious budded viruses (BVs) production of AcMNPV. Quantitative PCR together with confocal and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that these proteins were required for internalization and trafficking of BV during entry and egress of nucleocapsids. In infected Sf9 cells, nine ESCRT-III components were distributed on the nuclear envelope and plasma membrane, and except for Chm7, the other components were also localized to the intranuclear ring zone. Y2H and BiFC analysis revealed that 42 out of 64 BV-related proteins including 35 BV structural proteins and 7 non-BV structural proteins interacted with single or multiple ESCRT-III components. By further mapping the interactome of 64 BV-related proteins, we established the interaction networks of ESCRT-III and the viral protein complexes involved in BV entry and egress.IMPORTANCEFrom archaea to eukaryotes, the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III complex is hijacked by many enveloped and nonenveloped DNA or RNA viruses for efficient replication. However, the mechanism of ESCRT-III recruitment, especially for that of large enveloped DNA viruses, remains elusive. Recently, we found the ESCRT-III components Vps2B, Vps20, Vps24, Snf7, Vps46, and Vps60 are necessary for the entry and/or egress of budded viruses (BVs) of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus. Here, we demonstrated that the other three ESCRT-III components Chm7, Ist1, and Vps2A play similar roles in BV infection. By determining the subcellular localization of ESCRT-III components in infected cells and mapping the interaction of nine ESCRT-III components and 64 BV-related proteins, we built the interaction networks of ESCRT-III and the viral protein complexes involved in BV entry and egress. These studies provide a fundamental basis for understanding the mechanism of the ESCRT-mediated membrane remodeling for replication of baculoviruses.

Systematic Analysis of 42 Autographa Californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Genes Identifies An Additional Six Genes Involved in the Production of Infectious Budded Virus

Baculoviruses have been widely used as a vector for expressing foreign genes. Among numerous baculoviruses, Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is the most frequently used and it encodes 155 open reading frames (ORFs). Here, we systematically investigated the impact of 42 genes of AcMNPV on the production of infectious budded viruses (BVs) by constructing gene-knockout bacmids and subsequently conducting transfection and infection assays. The results showed that among the 39 functionally unverified genes and 3 recently reported genes, 36 are dispensable for infectious BV production, as the one-step growth curves of the gene-knockout viruses were not significantly different from those of the parental virus. Three genes (ac62, ac82 and ac106/107) are essential for infectious BV production, as deletions thereof resulted in complete loss of infectivity while the repaired viruses showed no significant difference in comparison to the parental virus. In addition, three genes (ac13, ac51 and ac120) are important but not essential for infectious BV production, as gene-knockout viruses produced significantly lower BV levels than that of the parental virus or repaired viruses. We then grouped the 155 AcMNPV genes into three categories (Dispensable, Essential, or Important for infectious BV production). Based on our results and previous publications, we constructed a schematic diagram of a potential mini-genome of AcMNPV, which contains only essential and important genes. The results shed light on our understanding of functional genomics of baculoviruses and provide fundamental information for future engineering of baculovirus expression system.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus Bm46 is essential for efficient production of infectious BV and nucleocapsid morphogenesis

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf46 (Bm46), the orthologues of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ac57, is a highly conserved gene in group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs). However, its function in viral life cycle is unclear. Our results indicated that Bm46 transcript was detected from infected cells at 12 h post infection, while Bm46 protein was detectable from 24 to 72 h post infection. Upon the deletion of Bm46, fewer infectious BVs were produced by titer assays, but neither viral DNA synthesis nor occlusion bodies (OBs) production was affected. Electron microscopy revealed that Bm46 knockout interrupted nucleocapsid assembly and occlusion-derived virus (ODV) embedding, resulting in aberrant capsid-like tubular structures accumulated in the RZ (ring zone). Interestingly, this abnormally elongated capsid structures were consistent with the immunofluorescence microscopy results showing that VP39 assembled into long filaments and cables in the RZ. Moreover, DNA copies decreased by 30 % in occlusion bodies (OBs) produced by Bm46-knockout virus. qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the expression of VP39 was affected by Bm46 disruption. Taken together, our findings clearly pointed out that Bm46 played an important role in BV production and the proper formation of nucleocapsid morphogenesis.

Nucleocapsid Assembly of Baculoviruses

The baculovirus nucleocapsid is formed through a rod-like capsid encapsulating a genomic DNA molecule of 80~180 kbp. The viral capsid is a large oligomer composed of many copies of various protein subunits. The assembly of viral capsids is a complex oligomerization process. The timing of expression of nucleocapsid-related proteins, transport pathways, and their interactions can affect the assembly process of preformed capsids. In addition, the selection of viral DNA and the injection of the viral genome into empty capsids are the critical steps in nucleocapsid assembly. This paper reviews the replication and recombination of baculovirus DNA, expression and transport of capsid proteins, formation of preformed capsids, DNA encapsulation, and nucleocapsid formation. This review will provide a basis for further study of the nucleocapsid assembly mechanism of baculovirus.

Controllable Assembly of Flexible Protein Nanotubes for Loading Multifunctional Modules

Viruses with filamentous morphologies, such as tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and M13 bacteriophage, have long been studied as multivalent nanoscaffolds for loading functional motifs. Structural assembly of the capsid proteins (CPs) of filamentous viruses often requires the presence of DNA or RNA molecules, which has limited their applications. Here, we describe a strategy for controllable assembly of flexible bio-nanotubes consisting of Escherichia coli expressed CP of baculovirus Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) in vitro. These protein-only nanotubes were studied as a new structural platform for high-density presentation of multiple active molecules on the exterior surface by direct fusion of the protein of interest to the N-terminus of HearNPV CP (HaCP). Structural characterization using cryoelectron microscopy demonstrated that the HaCP could assemble into two closely related but structurally distinct tube types, suggesting the tunable HaCP interaction network is the major contributor to the flexibility of HaCP nanotubes. Our flexible nanotubes could tolerate larger molecular modifications compared with TMV-based templates and could be used as promising candidates for versatile molecular loading applications.

Baculovirus AC102 Is a Nucleocapsid Protein That Is Crucial for Nuclear Actin Polymerization and Nucleocapsid Morphogenesis

The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), the type species of alphabaculoviruses, is an enveloped DNA virus that infects lepidopteran insects and is commonly known as a vector for protein expression and cell transduction. AcMNPV belongs to a diverse group of viral and bacterial pathogens that target the host cell actin cytoskeleton during infection. AcMNPV is unusual, however, in that it absolutely requires actin translocation into the nucleus early in infection and actin polymerization within the nucleus late in infection coincident with viral replication. Of the six viral factors that are sufficient, when coexpressed, to induce the nuclear localization of actin, only AC102 is essential for viral replication and the nuclear accumulation of actin. We therefore sought to better understand the role of AC102 in actin mobilization in the nucleus early and late in infection. Although AC102 was proposed to function early in infection, we found that AC102 is predominantly expressed as a late protein. In addition, we observed that AC102 is required for F-actin assembly in the nucleus during late infection, as well as for proper formation of viral replication structures and nucleocapsid morphogenesis. Finally, we found that AC102 is a nucleocapsid protein and a newly recognized member of a complex consisting of the viral proteins EC27, C42, and the actin polymerization protein P78/83. Taken together, our findings suggest that AC102 is necessary for nucleocapsid morphogenesis and actin assembly during late infection through its role as a component of the P78/83-C42-EC27-AC102 protein complex.IMPORTANCE The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is an important biotechnological tool for protein expression and cell transduction, and related nucleopolyhedroviruses are also used as environmentally benign insecticides. One impact of our work is to better understand the fundamental mechanisms through which AcMNPV exploits the cellular machinery of the host for replication, which may aid in the development of improved baculovirus-based research and industrial tools. Moreover, AcMNPV's ability to mobilize the host actin cytoskeleton within the cell's nucleus during infection makes it a powerful cell biological tool. It is becoming increasingly clear that actin plays important roles in the cell's nucleus, and yet the regulation and function of nuclear actin is poorly understood. Our work to better understand how AcMNPV relocalizes and polymerizes actin within the nucleus may reveal fundamental mechanisms that govern nuclear actin regulation and function, even in the absence of viral infection.

Protein composition analysis of polyhedra matrix of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) showed powerful capacity of polyhedra to encapsulate foreign proteins

Polyhedra can encapsulate other proteins and have potential applications as protein stabilizers. The extremely stable polyhedra matrix may provide a platform for future engineered micro-crystal devices. However, the protein composition of the polyhedra matrix remains largely unknown. In this study, the occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-removed BmNPV polyhedra matrix fraction was subjected to SDS-PAGE and then an LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis using a Thermo Scientific Q Exactive mass spectrometer. In total, 28 host and 91 viral proteins were identified. The host components were grouped into one of six categories, i.e., chaperones, ubiquitin and related proteins, host helicases, cytoskeleton-related proteins, RNA-binding proteins and others, according to their predicted Pfam domain(s). Most viral proteins may not be essential for polyhedra assembly, as evidenced by studies in the literature showing that polyhedra formation occurs in the nucleus upon the disruption of individual genes. The structural role of these proteins in baculovirus replication will be of significant interest in future studies. The immobilization of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) into the polyhedra by fusing with the C-terminus of BM134 that is encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 134 suggested that the polyhedra had a powerful capacity to trap foreign proteins, and BM134 was a potential carrier for incorporating proteins of interest into the polyhedra.

Hytrosaviruses: current status and perspective

Salivary gland hytrosaviruses (SGHVs) are entomopathogenic dsDNA, enveloped viruses that replicate in the salivary glands (SGs) of the adult dipterans, Glossina spp (GpSGHV) and Musca domestica (MdSGHV). Although belonging to the same virus family (Hytrosaviridae), SGHVs have distinct morphologies and pathobiologies. Two GpSGHV strains potentially account for the differential pathologies in lab-bred tsetse. New data suggest incorporation of host-derived cellular proteins and lipids into mature SGHVs. In addition to within the SGs, MdSGHV undergoes limited replication in the corpora allata, potentially disrupting hormone biosynthesis, and GpSGHV replicates in the milk glands providing a transmission conduit to progeny tsetse. Whereas MdSGHV is a potential biocontrol agent, the vertically transmitted GpSGHV is unsuitable for tsetse vector control but does jeopardize tsetse mass rearing.

A Conserved Glycine Residue Is Required for Proper Functioning of a Baculovirus VP39 Protein

The baculovirus VP39 protein is a major nucleocapsid protein essential for viral propagation. However, the critical domains or residues of the VP39 protein have not yet been identified. Here, we performed mutagenesis experiments with Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and isolated a BmNPV mutant that produced fewer occlusion bodies than the wild-type virus. This mutant also produced fewer infectious budded viruses (BVs) than the wild-type virus in both cultured cells and B. mori larvae. Marker rescue experiments using genomic libraries identified a single nucleotide mutation in the vp39 gene. This mutation resulted in an amino acid substitution at glycine 276 (Gly-276) to serine, which was required for all the defective phenotypes observed in the mutant. Sequence comparison revealed that this residue is completely conserved among the VP39 proteins of the sequenced alphabaculoviruses, betabaculoviruses, and gammabaculoviruses. Although early viral gene expression was not significantly affected, the level of expression of a late gene, vcath, was reduced. In addition, two of the very late genes were markedly downregulated in cells infected with this mutant. Western blot and quantitative PCR analyses revealed that the BVs produced from cells infected with this mutant contained smaller amounts of the VP39 protein and viral genomic DNA than those produced from wild-type virus-infected cells. Combined with the results of transmission electron microscopy, VP39 Gly-276 can be concluded to be essential for correct nucleocapsid assembly, viral DNA packaging, and viral gene expression, especially of very late genes.IMPORTANCE The major nucleocapsid protein gene vp39 is one of the most well-known baculovirus genes. Although several viral and host proteins that interact with the VP39 protein have been identified, the functionally important domains or residues of this protein remain unknown. The present study revealed that the glycine residue at residue 276, which is completely conserved among sequenced alphabaculoviruses, betabaculoviruses, and gammabaculoviruses, is important for the VP39 function, i.e., structural assembly of nucleocapsids and viral DNA packaging. Moreover, our results provide evidence for the link between nucleocapsid formation and the transcription of viral very late genes.

The Autographa californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus ac83 Gene Contains a cis-Acting Element That Is Essential for Nucleocapsid Assembly

Baculoviridae is a family of insect-specific viruses that have a circular double-stranded DNA genome packaged within a rod-shaped capsid. The mechanism of baculovirus nucleocapsid assembly remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that deletion of the ac83 gene of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) blocks viral nucleocapsid assembly. Interestingly, the ac83-encoded protein Ac83 is not a component of the nucleocapsid, implying a particular role for ac83 in nucleocapsid assembly that may be independent of its protein product. To examine this possibility, Ac83 synthesis was disrupted by insertion of a chloramphenicol resistance gene into its coding sequence or by deleting its promoter and translation start codon. Both mutants produced progeny viruses normally, indicating that the Ac83 protein is not required for nucleocapsid assembly. Subsequently, complementation assays showed that the production of progeny viruses required the presence of ac83 in the AcMNPV genome instead of its presence in trans Therefore, we reasoned that ac83 is involved in nucleocapsid assembly via an internal cis-acting element, which we named the nucleocapsid assembly-essential element (NAE). The NAE was identified to lie within nucleotides 1651 to 1850 of ac83 and had 8 conserved A/T-rich regions. Sequences homologous to the NAE were found only in alphabaculoviruses and have a conserved positional relationship with another essential cis-acting element that was recently identified. The identification of the NAE may help to connect the data of viral cis-acting elements and related proteins in the baculovirus nucleocapsid assembly, which is important for elucidating DNA-protein interaction events during this process.IMPORTANCE Virus nucleocapsid assembly usually requires specific cis-acting elements in the viral genome for various processes, such as the selection of the viral genome from the cellular nucleic acids, the cleavage of concatemeric viral genome replication intermediates, and the encapsidation of the viral genome into procapsids. In linear DNA viruses, such elements generally locate at the ends of the viral genome; however, most of these elements remain unidentified in circular DNA viruses (including baculovirus) due to their circular genomic conformation. Here, we identified a nucleocapsid assembly-essential element in the AcMNPV (the archetype of baculovirus) genome. This finding provides an important reference for studies of nucleocapsid assembly-related elements in baculoviruses and other circular DNA viruses. Moreover, as most of the previous studies of baculovirus nucleocapsid assembly have been focused on viral proteins, our study provides a novel entry point to investigate this mechanism via cis-acting elements in the viral genome.

The Autographa californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus ac54 Gene Is Crucial for Localization of the Major Capsid Protein VP39 at the Site of Nucleocapsid Assembly

Baculovirus DNAs are synthesized and inserted into preformed capsids to form nucleocapsids at a site in the infected cell nucleus, termed the virogenic stroma. Nucleocapsid assembly ofAutographa californicamultiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) requires the major capsid protein VP39 and nine minor capsid proteins, including VP1054. However, how VP1054 participates in nucleocapsid assembly remains elusive. In this study, the VP1054-encoding gene (ac54) was deleted to generate theac54-knockout AcMNPV (vAc54KO). In vAc54KO-transfected cells, nucleocapsid assembly was disrupted, leading to the formation of abnormally elongated capsid structures. Interestingly, unlike cells transfected with AcMNPV mutants lacking other minor capsid proteins, in which capsid structures were distributed within the virogenic stroma,ac54ablation resulted in a distinctive location of capsid structures and VP39 at the periphery of the nucleus. The altered distribution pattern of capsid structures was also observed in cells transfected with AcMNPV lacking BV/ODV-C42 or in cytochalasind-treated AcMNPV-infected cells. BV/ODV-C42, along with PP78/83, has been shown to promote nuclear filamentous actin (F-actin) formation, which is another requisite for nucleocapsid assembly. Immunofluorescence using phalloidin indicated that the formation and distribution of nuclear F-actin were not affected byac54deletion. However, immunoelectron microscopy revealed that BV/ODV-C42, PP78/83, and 38K failed to integrate into capsid structures in the absence of VP1054, and immunoprecipitation further demonstrated that in transient expression assays, VP1054 interacted with BV/ODV-C42 and VP80 but not VP39. Our findings suggest that VP1054 plays an important role in the transport of capsid proteins to the nucleocapsid assembly site prior to the process of nucleocapsid assembly.

IMPORTANCE

Baculoviruses are large DNA viruses whose replication occurs within the host nucleus. The localization of capsids into the capsid assembly site requires virus-induced nuclear F-actin; the inhibition of nuclear F-actin formation results in the retention of capsid structures at the periphery of the nucleus. In this paper, we note that the minor capsid protein VP1054 is essential for the localization of capsid structures, the major capsid protein VP39, and the minor capsid protein 38K into the capsid assembly site. Moreover, VP1054 is crucial for correct targeting of the nuclear F-actin factors BV/ODV-C42 and PP78/83 for capsid maturation. However, the formation and distribution of nuclear F-actin are not affected by the lack of VP1054. We further reveal that VP1054 interacts with BV/ODV-C42 and a capsid transport-related protein, VP80. Taken together, our findings suggest that VP1054 plays a unique role in the pathway(s) for transport of capsid proteins.

Proteomic analysis of the occlusion-derived virus of Clostera anachoreta granulovirus

To date, proteomic studies have been performed on occlusion-derived viruses (ODVs) from five members of the family Baculoviridae, genus Alphabaculovirus, but only a single member of the genus Betabaculovirus (Pieris rapae granulovirus). In this study, LC-MS/MS was used to analyse the ODV proteins of Clostera anachoreta granulovirus (ClanGV), another member of the genus Betabaculovirus. The results indicated that 73 proteins, including the products of 27 baculovirus core genes, were present in ClanGV ODVs. This is the largest number of ODV proteins identified in baculoviruses to date. To the best of our knowledge, 24 of these proteins were newly identified as ODV-associated proteins. Twelve of the proteins were shared by all seven of the other baculoviruses that have been analysed by proteomic techniques, including P49, PIF-2, ODV-EC43, P74, P6.9, P33, VP39, ODV-EC27, VP91, GP41, VLF-1 and VP1054. ClanGV shared between 20 and 36 ODV proteins with each of the other six baculoviruses that have been analysed by proteomics. Ten proteins were identified only as ODV components of ClanGV and PrGV: Clan22, Clan27, Clan69, Clan83, Clan84, Clan90, Clan116, Clan94, FGF-3 and ME53, the first seven of which were encoded by betabaculovirus-specific genes. These findings may provide novel insights into baculovirus structure as well as reveal similarities and differences between alphabaculoviruses and betabaculoviruses.