Assembly and disassembly of the capsid-like external scaffold of immature virions during vaccinia virus morphogenesis

Assembly and Evolution of Poxviruses

Poxvirus assembly has been an intriguing area of research for several decades. While advancements in experimental techniques continue to yield fresh insights, many questions are still unresolved. Large genome sizes of up to 380 kbp, asymmetrical structure, an exterior lipid bilayer, and a cytoplasmic life cycle are some notable characteristics of these viruses. Inside the particle are two lateral bodies and a protein wall-bound-biconcave core containing the viral nucleocapsid. The assembly progresses through five major stages-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane alteration and rupture, crescent formation, immature virion formation, genome encapsidation, virion maturation and in a subset of viruses, additional envelopment of the virion prior to its dissemination. Several large dsDNA viruses have been shown to follow a comparable sequence of events. In this chapter, we recapitulate our understanding of the poxvirus morphogenesis process while reviewing the most recent advances in the field. We also briefly discuss how virion assembly aids in our knowledge of the evolutionary links between poxviruses and other Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDVs).

Giant variations in giant virus genome packaging

Giant viruses (Nucleocytoviricota) have a largely conserved lifecycle, yet how they cram their large genomes into viral capsids is mostly unknown. The major capsid protein and the packaging ATPase (pATPase) comprise a highly conserved morphogenesis module in giant viruses, yet some giant viruses dispense with an icosahedral capsid, and others encode multiple versions of pATPases, including conjoined ATPase doublets, or encode none. Some giant viruses have acquired DNA-condensing proteins to compact their genomes, including sheath-like structures encasing folded DNA or densely packed viral nucleosomes that show a resemblance to eukaryotic nucleosomes at the telomeres. Here, we review what is known and unknown about these ATPases and condensing proteins, and place these variations in the context of viral lifecycles.

An Overview of Antivirals against Monkeypox Virus and Other Orthopoxviruses

The current monkeypox outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic have reignited interest in orthopoxvirus antivirals. Monkeypox belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family, which also includes the variola virus, vaccinia virus, and cowpox virus. Two orally bioavailable drugs, tecovirimat and brincidofovir, have been approved for treating smallpox infections. Given their human safety profiles and in vivo antiviral efficacy in animal models, both drugs have also been recommended to treat monkeypox infection. To facilitate the development of additional orthopoxvirus antivirals, we summarize the antiviral activity, mechanism of action, and mechanism of resistance of orthopoxvirus antivirals. This perspective covers both direct-acting and host-targeting antivirals with an emphasis on drug candidates showing in vivo antiviral efficacy in animal models. We hope to speed the orthopoxvirus antiviral drug discovery by providing medicinal chemists with insights into prioritizing proper drug targets and hits for further development.

A succession of two viral lattices drives vaccinia virus assembly

During its cytoplasmic replication, vaccinia virus assembles non-infectious spherical immature virions (IV) coated by a viral D13 lattice. Subsequently, IV mature into infectious brick-shaped intracellular mature virions (IMV) that lack D13. Here, we performed cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) of frozen-hydrated vaccinia-infected cells to structurally characterise the maturation process in situ. During IMV formation, a new viral core forms inside IV with a wall consisting of trimeric pillars arranged in a new pseudohexagonal lattice. This lattice appears as a palisade in cross-section. As maturation occurs, which involves a 50% reduction in particle volume, the viral membrane becomes corrugated as it adapts to the newly formed viral core in a process that does not appear to require membrane removal. Our study suggests that the length of this core is determined by the D13 lattice and that the consecutive D13 and palisade lattices control virion shape and dimensions during vaccinia assembly and maturation.

Vaccinia virus H7-protein is required for the organization of the viral scaffold protein into hexamers

Viruses of the giant virus family are characterized by a structurally conserved scaffold-capsid protein that shapes the icosahedral virion. The vaccinia virus (VACV) scaffold protein D13, however, transiently shapes the newly assembled viral membrane in to a sphere and is absent from the mature brick-shaped virion. In infected cells D13, a 62 kDa polypeptide, forms trimers that arrange in hexamers and a honey-comb like lattice. Membrane association of the D13-lattice may be mediated by A17, an abundant 21 kDa viral membrane protein. Whether membrane binding mediates the formation of the honey-comb lattice or if other factors are involved, remains elusive. Here we show that H7, a 17 kDa protein conserved among poxviruses, mediates proper formation of D13-hexamers, and hence the honey comb lattice and spherical immature virus. Without H7 synthesis D13 trimers assemble into a large 3D network rather than the typical well organized scaffold layer observed in wild-type infection, composed of short D13 tubes of discrete length that are tightly associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The data show an unexpected role for H7 in D13 organization and imply that formation of the honey-comb, hexagonal, lattice is essential for VACV membrane assembly and production of infectious progeny. The data are discussed with respect to scaffold proteins of other giant viruses.

Current capsid assembly models of icosahedral nucleocytoviricota viruses

Nucleocytoviricota viruses (NCVs) belong to a newly established phylum originally grouped as Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. NCVs are unique because of their large and complicated genomes that contain cellular genes with homologs from all kingdoms of life, raising intensive debates on their evolutional origins. Many NCVs pack their genomes inside massive icosahedral capsids assembled from thousands of proteins. Studying the assembly mechanism of such capsids has been challenging until breakthroughs from structural studies. Subsequently, several models of the capsid assembly were proposed, which provided some interesting insights on this elaborate process. In this review, we discuss three of the most recent assembly models as well as supporting experimental observations. Furthermore, we propose a new model that combines research developments from multiple sources. Investigation of the assembly process of these vast NCV capsids will facilitate future deciphering of the molecular mechanisms driving the formation of similar supramolecular complexes.

Investigating Viruses During the Transformation of Molecular Biology: Part II

My scientific career started at an extraordinary time, shortly after the discoveries of the helical structure of DNA, the central dogma of DNA to RNA to protein, and the genetic code. Part I of this series emphasizes my education and early studies highlighted by the isolation and characterization of numerous vaccinia virus enzymes, determination of the cap structure of messenger RNA, and development of poxviruses as gene expression vectors for use as recombinant vaccines. Here I describe a shift in my research focus to combine molecular biology and genetics for a comprehensive understanding of poxvirus biology. The dominant paradigm during the early years was to select a function, isolate the responsible proteins, and locate the corresponding gene, whereas later the common paradigm was to select a gene, make a mutation, and determine the altered function. Motivations, behind-the-scenes insights, importance of new technologies, and the vital roles of trainees and coworkers are emphasized.

The Vaccinia virion: Filling the gap between atomic and ultrastructure

We have investigated the molecular-level structure of the Vaccinia virion in situ by protein-protein chemical crosslinking, identifying 4609 unique-mass crosslink ions at an effective FDR of 0.33%, covering 2534 unique pairs of crosslinked protein positions, 625 of which were inter-protein. The data were statistically non-random and rational in the context of known structures, and showed biological rationality. Crosslink density strongly tracked the individual proteolytic maturation products of p4a and p4b, the two major virion structural proteins, and supported the prediction of transmembrane domains within membrane proteins. A clear sub-network of four virion structural proteins provided structural insights into the virion core wall, and proteins VP8 and A12 formed a strongly-detected crosslinked pair with an apparent structural role. A strongly-detected sub-network of membrane proteins A17, H3, A27 and A26 represented an apparent interface of the early-forming virion envelope with structures added later during virion morphogenesis. Protein H3 seemed to be the central hub not only for this sub-network but also for an 'attachment protein' sub-network comprising membrane proteins H3, ATI, CAHH(D8), A26, A27 and G9. Crosslinking data lent support to a number of known interactions and interactions within known complexes. Evidence is provided for the membrane targeting of genome telomeres. In covering several orders of magnitude in protein abundance, this study may have come close to the bottom of the protein-protein crosslinkome of an intact organism, namely a complex animal virus.

Structural basis for the inhibition of poxvirus assembly by the antibiotic rifampicin

Poxviruses are large DNA viruses that cause disease in animals and humans. They differ from classical enveloped viruses, because their membrane is acquired from cytoplasmic membrane precursors assembled onto a viral protein scaffold formed by the D13 protein rather than budding through cellular compartments. It was found three decades ago that the antibiotic rifampicin blocks this process and prevents scaffold formation. To elucidate the mechanism of action of rifampicin, we have determined the crystal structures of six D13-rifamycin complexes. These structures reveal that rifamycin compounds bind to a phenylalanine-rich region, or F-ring, at the membrane-proximal opening of the central channel of the D13 trimer. We show by NMR, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and site-directed mutagenesis that A17, a membrane-associated viral protein, mediates the recruitment of the D13 scaffold by also binding to the F-ring. This interaction is the target of rifampicin, which prevents A17 binding, explaining the inhibition of viral morphogenesis. The F-ring of D13 is both conserved in sequence in mammalian poxviruses and essential for interaction with A17, defining a target for the development of assembly inhibitors. The model of the A17-D13 interaction describes a two-component system for remodeling nascent membranes that may be conserved in other large and giant DNA viruses.

Enigmatic origin of the poxvirus membrane from the endoplasmic reticulum shown by 3D imaging of vaccinia virus assembly mutants

The long-standing inability to visualize connections between poxvirus membranes and cellular organelles has led to uncertainty regarding the origin of the viral membrane. Indeed, there has been speculation that viral membranes form de novo in cytoplasmic factories. Another possibility, that the connections are too short-lived to be captured by microscopy during a normal infection, motivated us to identify and characterize virus mutants that are arrested in assembly. Five conserved vaccinia virus proteins, referred to as Viral Membrane Assembly Proteins (VMAPs), that are necessary for formation of immature virions were found. Transmission electron microscopy studies of two VMAP deletion mutants had suggested retention of connections between viral membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We now analyzed cells infected with each of the five VMAP deletion mutants by electron tomography, which is necessary to validate membrane continuity, in addition to conventional transmission electron microscopy. In all cases, connections between the ER and viral membranes were demonstrated by 3D reconstructions, supporting a role for the VMAPs in creating and/or stabilizing membrane scissions. Furthermore, coexpression of the viral reticulon-like transmembrane protein A17 and the capsid-like scaffold protein D13 was sufficient to form similar ER-associated viral structures in the absence of other major virion proteins. Determination of the mechanism of ER disruption during a normal VACV infection and the likely participation of both viral and cell proteins in this process may provide important insights into membrane dynamics.

Deletion of the Vaccinia Virus I2 Protein Interrupts Virion Morphogenesis, Leading to Retention of the Scaffold Protein and Mislocalization of Membrane-Associated Entry Proteins

The I2L open reading frame of vaccinia virus (VACV) encodes a conserved 72-amino-acid protein with a putative C-terminal transmembrane domain. Previous studies with a tetracycline-inducible mutant demonstrated that I2-deficient virions are defective in cell entry. The purpose of the present study was to determine the step of replication or entry that is affected by loss of the I2 protein. Fluorescence microscopy experiments showed that I2 colocalized with a major membrane protein of immature and mature virions. We generated a cell line that constitutively expressed I2 and allowed construction of the VACV I2L deletion mutant vΔI2. As anticipated, vΔI2 was unable to replicate in cells that did not express I2. Unexpectedly, morphogenesis was interrupted at a stage after immature virion formation, resulting in the accumulation of dense spherical particles instead of brick-shaped mature virions with well-defined core structures. The abnormal particles retained the D13 scaffold protein of immature virions, were severely deficient in the transmembrane proteins that comprise the entry fusion complex (EFC), and had increased amounts of unprocessed membrane and core proteins. Total lysates of cells infected with vΔI2 also had diminished EFC proteins due to instability attributed to their hydrophobicity and failure to be inserted into viral membranes. A similar instability of EFC proteins had previously been found with unrelated mutants blocked earlier in morphogenesis that also accumulated viral membranes retaining the D13 scaffold. We concluded that I2 is required for virion morphogenesis, release of the D13 scaffold, and the association of EFC proteins with viral membranes.IMPORTANCE Poxviruses comprise a large family that infect vertebrates and invertebrates, cause disease in both in humans and in wild and domesticated animals, and are being engineered as vectors for vaccines and cancer therapy. In addition, investigations of poxviruses have provided insights into many aspects of cell biology. The I2 protein is conserved in all poxviruses that infect vertebrates, suggesting an important role. The present study revealed that this protein is essential for vaccinia virus morphogenesis and that its absence results in an accumulation of deformed virus particles retaining the scaffold protein and deficient in surface proteins needed for cell entry.

Vaccinia virus A11 is required for membrane rupture and viral membrane assembly

Although most enveloped viruses acquire their membrane from the host by budding or by a wrapping process, collective data argue that nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) may be an exception. The prototype member of NCLDVs, vaccinia virus (VACV) may induce rupture of endoplasmic-reticulum-derived membranes to build an open-membrane sphere that closes after DNA uptake. This unconventional membrane assembly pathway is also used by at least 3 other members of the NCLDVs. In this study, we identify the VACV gene product of A11, as required for membrane rupture, hence for VACV membrane assembly and virion formation. By electron tomography, in the absence of A11, the site of assembly formed by the viral scaffold protein D13 is surrounded by endoplasmic reticulum cisternae that are closed. We use scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron tomography to analyse large volumes of cells and demonstrate that in the absence of A11, no open membranes are detected. Given the pivotal role of D13 in initiating VACV membrane assembly, we also analyse viral membranes in the absence of D13 synthesis and show that this protein is not required for rupture. Finally, consistent with a role in rupture, we show that during wild-type infection, A11 localises predominantly to the small ruptured membranes, the precursors of VACV membrane assembly. These data provide strong evidence in favour of the unusual membrane biogenesis of VACV and are an important step towards understanding its molecular mechanism.

Vaccinia virus G1 protein: absence of autocatalytic self-processing

Vaccinia virus relies on a series of proteolytic cleavage events involving two viral proteins, I7 and G1, to complete its life cycle. Furthermore, G1 itself is cleaved during vaccinia virus infection. However, convincing evidence is lacking to show whether G1 participates in autoproteolysis or is a substrate of another protease. We employed both biochemical and cell-based approaches to investigate G1 cleavage. G1, when expressed in bacteria, rabbit reticulocyte lysates or HeLa cells, was not processed. Moreover, G1 was cleaved in infected cells, but only in the presence of virus late gene expression; cleavage was strongly inhibited by proteasome inhibitors. Thus, these results imply a more complex G1 cleavage reaction than previously envisaged.

Investigating Viruses during the Transformation of Molecular Biology

This Reflections article describes my early work on viral enzymes and the discovery of mRNA capping, how my training in medicine and biochemistry merged as I evolved into a virologist, the development of viruses as vaccine vectors, and how scientific and technological developments during the 1970s and beyond set the stage for the interrogation of nearly every step in the reproductive cycle of vaccinia virus (VACV), a large DNA virus with about 200 genes. The reader may view this article as a work in progress, because I remain actively engaged in research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notwithstanding 50 memorable years there.

Protein Primary Structure of the Vaccinia Virion at Increased Resolution

Here we examine the protein covalent structure of the vaccinia virus virion. Within two virion preparations, >88% of the theoretical vaccinia virus-encoded proteome was detected with high confidence, including the first detection of products from 27 open reading frames (ORFs) previously designated "predicted," "uncharacterized," "inferred," or "hypothetical" polypeptides containing as few as 39 amino acids (aa) and six proteins whose detection required nontryptic proteolysis. We also detected the expression of four short ORFs, each of which was located within an ORF ("ORF-within-ORF"), including one not previously recognized or known to be expressed. Using quantitative mass spectrometry (MS), between 58 and 74 proteins were determined to be packaged. A total of 63 host proteins were also identified as candidates for packaging. Evidence is provided that some portion of virion proteins are "nicked" via a combination of endoproteolysis and concerted exoproteolysis in a manner, and at sites, independent of virus origin or laboratory procedures. The size of the characterized virion phosphoproteome was doubled from 189 (J. Matson, W. Chou, T. Ngo, and P. D. Gershon, Virology 452-453:310-323, 2014, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2014.01.012) to 396 confident, unique phosphorylation sites, 268 of which were within the packaged proteome. This included the unambiguous identification of phosphorylation "hot spots" within virion proteins. Using isotopically enriched ATP, 23 sites of intravirion kinase phosphorylation were detected within nine virion proteins, all at sites already partially occupied within the virion preparations. The clear phosphorylation of proteins RAP94 and RP19 was consistent with the roles of these proteins in intravirion early gene transcription. In a blind search for protein modifications, cysteine glutathionylation and O-linked glycosylation featured prominently. We provide evidence for the phosphoglycosylation of vaccinia virus proteins.

IMPORTANCE

Poxviruses are among the most complex and irregular virions, about whose internal structure little is known. To better understand poxvirus virion structure, imaging should be supplemented with other tools. Here, we provide a deep study of the covalent structure of the vaccinia virus virion using the various tools of contemporary mass spectrometry.

Retrograde Transport from Early Endosomes to the trans-Golgi Network Enables Membrane Wrapping and Egress of Vaccinia Virus Virions

The anterograde pathway, from the endoplasmic reticulum through the trans-Golgi network to the cell surface, is utilized by trans-membrane and secretory proteins. The retrograde pathway, which directs traffic in the opposite direction, is used following endocytosis of exogenous molecules and recycling of membrane proteins. Microbes exploit both routes: viruses typically use the anterograde pathway for envelope formation prior to exiting the cell, whereas ricin and Shiga-like toxins and some nonenveloped viruses use the retrograde pathway for cell entry. Mining a human genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen revealed a need for multiple retrograde pathway components for cell-to-cell spread of vaccinia virus. We confirmed and extended these results while discovering that retrograde trafficking was required for virus egress rather than entry. Retro-2, a specific retrograde trafficking inhibitor of protein toxins, potently prevented spread of vaccinia virus as well as monkeypox virus, a human pathogen. Electron and confocal microscopy studies revealed that Retro-2 prevented wrapping of virions with an additional double-membrane envelope that enables microtubular transport, exocytosis, and actin polymerization. The viral B5 and F13 protein components of this membrane, which are required for wrapping, normally colocalize in the trans-Golgi network. However, only B5 traffics through the secretory pathway, suggesting that F13 uses another route to the trans-Golgi network. The retrograde route was demonstrated by finding that F13 was largely confined to early endosomes and failed to colocalize with B5 in the presence of Retro-2. Thus, vaccinia virus makes novel use of the retrograde transport system for formation of the viral wrapping membrane.

IMPORTANCE

Efficient cell-to-cell spread of vaccinia virus and other orthopoxviruses depends on the wrapping of infectious particles with a double membrane that enables microtubular transport, exocytosis, and actin polymerization. Interference with wrapping or subsequent steps results in severe attenuation of the virus. Some previous studies had suggested that the wrapping membrane arises from the trans-Golgi network, whereas others suggested an origin from early endosomes. Some nonenveloped viruses use retrograde trafficking for entry into the cell. In contrast, we provided evidence that retrograde transport from early endosomes to the trans-Golgi network is required for the membrane-wrapping step in morphogenesis of vaccinia virus and egress from the cell. The potent in vitro inhibition of this step by the drug Retro-2 suggests that derivatives with enhanced pharmacological properties might serve as useful antipoxviral agents.

African Swine Fever Virus Undergoes Outer Envelope Disruption, Capsid Disassembly and Inner Envelope Fusion before Core Release from Multivesicular Endosomes

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV) that causes a highly lethal disease in domestic pigs. As other NCLDVs, the extracellular form of ASFV possesses a multilayered structure consisting of a genome-containing nucleoid successively wrapped by a thick protein core shell, an inner lipid membrane, an icosahedral protein capsid and an outer lipid envelope. This structural complexity suggests an intricate mechanism of internalization in order to deliver the virus genome into the cytoplasm. By using flow cytometry in combination with pharmacological entry inhibitors, as well as fluorescence and electron microscopy approaches, we have dissected the entry and uncoating pathway used by ASFV to infect the macrophage, its natural host cell. We found that purified extracellular ASFV is internalized by both constitutive macropinocytosis and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Once inside the cell, ASFV particles move from early endosomes or macropinosomes to late, multivesicular endosomes where they become uncoated. Virus uncoating requires acidic pH and involves the disruption of the outer membrane as well as of the protein capsid. As a consequence, the inner viral membrane becomes exposed and fuses with the limiting endosomal membrane to release the viral core into the cytosol. Interestingly, virus fusion is dependent on virus protein pE248R, a transmembrane polypeptide of the inner envelope that shares sequence similarity with some members of the poxviral entry/fusion complex. Collective evidence supports an entry model for ASFV that might also explain the uncoating of other multienveloped icosahedral NCLDVs.

Virus entry is a crucial initial event for productive infection, being therefore a potential target for antiviral strategies. African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of a frequently fatal swine disease for which there is no vaccine. ASFV belongs to the superfamily of nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV), which are among the most complex viruses known. ASFV genome locates at a core structure that is wrapped by two lipid membranes separated by an icosahedral protein capsid. Here we have dissected the internalization process of ASFV into host macrophages. Our results indicate that ASFV uses two alternative endocytic mechanisms, clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis, an ongoing process in macrophages. Once internalized, ASFV particles move to multivesicular endosomes, where they undergo a disassembly process leading to the loss of the two outermost layers. This exposes the inner viral envelope, which fuses to the limiting endosome membrane to deliver the viral core into the cytosol. ASFV penetration depends on acidic pH and on the inner envelope viral protein pE248R. Our findings point to an internalization model that could also explain the uncoating of other icosahedral enveloped NCLDVs. Also, they provide new cellular and viral targets for the development of antiviral strategies against ASFV.

Poxviruses Encode a Reticulon-Like Protein that Promotes Membrane Curvature

Poxviruses are enveloped DNA viruses that replicate within the cytoplasm. The first viral structures are crescents and spherical particles, with a lipoprotein membrane bilayer, that are thought to be derived from the ER. We determined that A17, a conserved viral transmembrane protein essential for crescent formation, forms homo-oligomers and shares topological features with cellular reticulon-like proteins. The latter cell proteins promote membrane curvature and contribute to the tubular structure of the ER. When the purified A17 protein was incorporated into liposomes, 25 nm diameter vesicles and tubules formed at low and high A17 concentrations, respectively. In addition, intracellular expression of A17 in the absence of other viral structural proteins transformed the ER into aggregated three-dimensional (3D) tubular networks. We suggest that A17 is a viral reticulon-like protein that contributes to curvature during biogenesis of the poxvirus membrane.

The vaccinia virus E6 protein influences virion protein localization during virus assembly

Vaccinia virus mutants in which expression of the virion core protein gene E6R is repressed are defective in virion morphogenesis. E6 deficient infections fail to properly package viroplasm into viral membranes, resulting in an accumulation of empty immature virions and large aggregates of viroplasm. We have used immunogold electron microscopy and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy to assess the intracellular localization of several virion structural proteins and enzymes during E6R mutant infections. We find that during E6R mutant infections virion membrane proteins and virion transcription enzymes maintain a normal localization within viral factories while several major core and lateral body proteins accumulate in aggregated virosomes. The results support a model in which vaccinia virions are assembled from at least three substructures, the membrane, the viroplasm and a "pre-nucleocapsid", and that the E6 protein is essential for maintaining proper localization of the seven-protein complex and the viroplasm during assembly.

Poxvirus membrane biogenesis

Poxviruses differ from most DNA viruses by replicating entirely within the cytoplasm. The first discernible viral structures are crescents and spherical immature virions containing a single lipoprotein membrane bilayer with an external honeycomb lattice. Because this viral membrane displays no obvious continuity with a cellular organelle, a de novo origin was suggested. Nevertheless, transient connections between viral and cellular membranes could be difficult to resolve. Despite the absence of direct evidence, the intermediate compartment (ERGIC) between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus and the ER itself were considered possible sources of crescent membranes. A break-through in understanding poxvirus membrane biogenesis has come from recent studies of the abortive replication of several vaccinia virus null mutants. Novel images showing continuity between viral crescents and the ER and the accumulation of immature virions in the expanded ER lumen provide the first direct evidence for a cellular origin of this poxvirus membrane.

From crescent to mature virion: vaccinia virus assembly and maturation

Vaccinia virus (VACV) has achieved unprecedented success as a live viral vaccine for smallpox which mitigated eradication of the disease. Vaccinia virus has a complex virion morphology and recent advances have been made to answer some of the key outstanding questions, in particular, the origin and biogenesis of the virion membrane, the transformation from immature virion (IV) to mature virus (MV), and the role of several novel genes, which were previously uncharacterized, but have now been shown to be essential for VACV virion formation. This new knowledge will undoubtedly contribute to the rational design of safe, immunogenic vaccine candidates, or effective antivirals in the future. This review endeavors to provide an update on our current knowledge of the VACV maturation processes with a specific focus on the initiation of VACV replication through to the formation of mature virions.

Vaccinia virus mutations in the L4R gene encoding a virion structural protein produce abnormal mature particles lacking a nucleocapsid

Electron micrographs from the 1960s revealed the presence of an S-shaped tubular structure in the center of the vaccinia virion core. Recently, we showed that packaging of virus transcription enzymes is necessary for the formation of the tubular structure, suggesting that the structure is equivalent to a nucleocapsid. Based on this study and on what is known about nucleocapsids of other viruses, we hypothesized that in addition to transcription enzymes, the tubular structure also contains the viral DNA and a structural protein as a scaffold. The vaccinia virion structural protein L4 stands out as the best candidate for the role of a nucleocapsid structural protein because it is abundant, it is localized in the center of the virion core, and it binds DNA. In order to gain more insight into the structure and relevance of the nucleocapsid, we analyzed thermosensitive and inducible mutants in the L4R gene. Using a cryo-fixation method for electron microscopy (high-pressure freezing followed by freeze-substitution) to preserve labile structures like the nucleocapsid, we were able to demonstrate that in the absence of functional L4, mature particles with defective internal structures are produced under nonpermissive conditions. These particles do not contain a nucleocapsid. In addition, the core wall of these virions is abnormal. This suggests that the nucleocapsid interacts with the core wall and that the nucleocapsid structure might be more complex than originally assumed.

IMPORTANCE

The vaccinia virus nucleocapsid has been neglected since the 1960s due to a lack of electron microscopy techniques to preserve this labile structure. With the advent of cryo-fixation techniques, like high-pressure freezing/freeze-substitution, we are now able to consistently preserve and visualize the nucleocapsid. Because vaccinia virus early transcription is coupled to the viral core structure, detailing the structure of the nucleocapsid is indispensable for determining the mechanisms of vaccinia virus core-directed transcription. The present study represents our second attempt to understand the structure and biological significance of the nucleocapsid. We demonstrate the importance of the protein L4 for the formation of the nucleocapsid and reveal in addition that the nucleocapsid and the core wall may be associated, suggesting a higher level of complexity of the nucleocapsid than predicted. In addition, we prove the utility of high-pressure freezing in preserving the vaccinia virus nucleocapsid.

Duplication of the A17L locus of vaccinia virus provides an alternate route to rifampin resistance

Specific gene duplications can enable double-stranded DNA viruses to adapt rapidly to environmental pressures despite the low mutation rate of their high-fidelity DNA polymerases. We report on the rapid positive selection of a novel vaccinia virus genomic duplication mutant in the presence of the assembly inhibitor rifampin. Until now, all known rifampin-resistant vaccinia virus isolates have contained missense mutations in the D13L gene, which encodes a capsid-like scaffold protein required for stabilizing membrane curvature during the early stage of virion assembly. Here we describe a second pathway to rifampin resistance involving A17, a membrane protein that binds and anchors D13 to the immature virion. After one round of selection, a rifampin-resistant virus that contained a genomic duplication in the A17L-A21L region was recovered. The mutant had both C-terminally truncated and full-length A17L open reading frames. Expression of the truncated A17 protein was retained when the virus was passaged in the presence of rifampin but was lost in the absence of the drug, suggesting that the duplication decreased general fitness. Both forms of A17 were bound to the virion membrane and associated with D13. Moreover, insertion of an additional truncated or inducible full-length A17L open reading frame into the genome of the wild-type virus was sufficient to confer rifampin resistance. In summary, this report contains the first evidence of an alternate mechanism for resistance of poxviruses to rifampin, indicates a direct relationship between A17 levels and the resistance phenotype, and provides further evidence of the ability of double-stranded DNA viruses to acquire drug resistance through gene duplication.

IMPORTANCE

The present study provides the first evidence of a new mechanism of resistance of a poxvirus to the antiviral drug rifampin. In addition, it affirms the importance of the interaction between the D13 scaffold protein and the A17 membrane protein for assembly of virus particles. Resistance to rifampin was linked to a partial duplication of the gene encoding the A17 protein, similar to the resistance to hydroxyurea enabled by duplication of the gene encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase and of the K3L gene to allow adaptation to the antiviral action of protein kinase R. Gene duplication may provide a way for poxviruses and other DNA viruses with high-fidelity DNA polymerases to adjust rapidly to changes in the environment.

Direct formation of vaccinia virus membranes from the endoplasmic reticulum in the absence of the newly characterized L2-interacting protein A30.5

Crescents consisting of a single lipoprotein membrane with an external protein scaffold comprise the initial structural elements of poxvirus morphogenesis. Crescents enlarge to form spherical immature virions, which enclose viroplasm consisting of proteins destined to form the cores of mature virions. Previous studies suggest that the L2 protein participates in the recruitment of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived membranes to form immature virions within assembly sites of cytoplasmic factories. Here we show that L2 interacts with the previously uncharacterized 42-amino-acid A30.5 protein. An open reading frame similar in size to the one encoding A30.5 is at the same genome location in representatives of all chordopoxvirus genera. A30.5 has a putative transmembrane domain and colocalized with markers of the endoplasmic reticulum and with L2. By constructing a complementing cell line expressing A30.5, we isolated a deletion mutant virus that exhibits a defect in morphogenesis in normal cells. Large electron-dense cytoplasmic inclusions and clusters of scaffold protein-coated membranes that resemble crescents and immature virions devoid of viroplasm were seen in place of normal structures. Crescent-shaped membranes were continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and oriented with the convex scaffold protein-coated side facing the lumen, while clusters of completed spherical immature-virion-like forms were trapped within the expanded lumen. Immature-virion-like structures were more abundant in infected RK-13 cells than in BS-C-1 or HeLa cells, in which cytoplasmic inclusions were decorated with scaffold protein-coated membrane arcs. We suggest that the outer surface of the poxvirus virion is derived from the luminal side of the ER membrane.

Association of the vaccinia virus A11 protein with the endoplasmic reticulum and crescent precursors of immature virions

The apparent de novo formation of viral membranes within cytoplasmic factories is a mysterious, poorly understood first step in poxvirus morphogenesis. Genetic studies identified several viral proteins essential for membrane formation and the assembly of immature virus particles. Their repression results in abortive replication with the accumulation of dense masses of viroplasm. In the present study, we further characterized one of these proteins, A11, and investigated its association with cellular and viral membranes under normal and abortive replication conditions. We discovered that A11 colocalized in cytoplasmic factories with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and L2, another viral protein required for morphogenesis. Confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation indicated that A11 was not membrane associated in uninfected cells, whereas L2 still colocalized with the ER. Cell-free transcription and translation experiments indicated that both A11 and L2 are tail-anchored proteins that associate posttranslationally with membranes and likely require specific cytoplasmic targeting chaperones. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that A11, like L2, associated with crescent membranes and immature virions during normal infection and with vesicles and tubules near masses of dense viroplasm during abortive infection in the absence of the A17 or A14 protein component of viral membranes. When the synthesis of A11 was repressed, "empty" immature-virion-like structures formed in addition to masses of viroplasm. The immature-virion-like structures were labeled with antibodies to A17 and to the D13 scaffold protein and were closely associated with calnexin-labeled ER. These studies revealed similarities and differences between A11 and L2, both of which may be involved in the recruitment of the ER for virus assembly.

Vaccinia virus A19 protein participates in the transformation of spherical immature particles to barrel-shaped infectious virions

The A19L open reading frame of vaccinia virus encodes a 9-kDa protein that is conserved in all sequenced chordopoxviruses, yet until now it has not been specifically characterized in any species. We appended an epitope tag after the start codon of the A19L open reading frame without compromising infectivity. The protein was synthesized after viral DNA replication and was phosphorylated independently of the vaccinia virus F10 kinase. The A19 protein was present in purified virions and was largely resistant to nonionic detergent extraction, suggesting a location within the core. A conditional lethal mutant virus was constructed by placing the A19 open reading frame under the control of the Escherichia coli lac repressor system. A19 synthesis and infectious virus formation were dependent on inducer. In the absence of inducer, virion morphogenesis was interrupted, and spherical dense particles that had greatly reduced amounts of the D13 scaffold accumulated in place of barrel-shaped mature virions. The infectivity of purified A19-deficient particles was more than 2 log units less than that of A19-containing virions. Nevertheless, the A19-deficient particles contained DNA, and except for the absence of A19 and decreased core protein processing, they appeared to have a similar protein composition as A19-containing virions. Thus, the A19 protein participates in the maturation of immature vaccinia virus virions to infectious particles.

Membrane assembly during the infection cycle of the giant Mimivirus

Although extensively studied, the structure, cellular origin and assembly mechanism of internal membranes during viral infection remain unclear. By combining diverse imaging techniques, including the novel Scanning-Transmission Electron Microscopy tomography, we elucidate the structural stages of membrane biogenesis during the assembly of the giant DNA virus Mimivirus. We show that this elaborate multistage process occurs at a well-defined zone localized at the periphery of large viral factories that are generated in the host cytoplasm. Membrane biogenesis is initiated by fusion of multiple vesicles, ~70 nm in diameter, that apparently derive from the host ER network and enable continuous supply of lipid components to the membrane-assembly zone. The resulting multivesicular bodies subsequently rupture to form large open single-layered membrane sheets from which viral membranes are generated. Membrane generation is accompanied by the assembly of icosahedral viral capsids in a process involving the hypothetical major capsid protein L425 that acts as a scaffolding protein. The assembly model proposed here reveals how multiple Mimivirus progeny can be continuously and efficiently generated and underscores the similarity between the infection cycles of Mimivirus and Vaccinia virus. Moreover, the membrane biogenesis process indicated by our findings provides new insights into the pathways that might mediate assembly of internal viral membranes in general.

Analysis of viral membranes formed in cells infected by a vaccinia virus L2-deletion mutant suggests their origin from the endoplasmic reticulum

Assembly of the poxvirus immature virion (IV) membrane is a poorly understood event that occurs within the cytoplasm. At least eight viral proteins participate in formation of the viral membrane. Of these, A14, A17, and D13 are structural components whereas A6, A11, F10, H7, and L2 participate in membrane biogenesis. L2, the object of this study, is conserved in all chordopoxviruses, expressed early in infection, and associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) throughout the cell and at the edges of crescent-shaped IV precursors. Previous studies with an inducible L2 mutant revealed abortive formation of the crescent membrane. However, possible low-level L2 synthesis under nonpermissive conditions led to ambiguity in interpretation. Here, we constructed a cell line that expresses L2, which allowed the creation of an L2-deletion mutant. In noncomplementing cells, replication was aborted prior to formation of mature virions and two types of aberrant structures were recognized. One consisted of short crescents, at the surface of dense masses of viroplasm, which were labeled with antibodies to the A11, A14, A17, and D13 proteins. The other structure consisted of "empty" IV-like membranes, also labeled with antibodies to the viral proteins, which appeared to be derived from adjacent calnexin-containing ER. A subset of 25 proteins examined, exemplified by components of the entry-fusion complex, were greatly diminished in amount. The primary role of L2 may be to recruit ER and modulate its transformation to viral membranes in juxtaposition with the viroplasm, simultaneously preventing the degradation of viral proteins dependent on viral membranes for stability.

Biogenesis of the vaccinia virus membrane: genetic and ultrastructural analysis of the contributions of the A14 and A17 proteins

Vaccinia virus membrane biogenesis requires the A14 and A17 proteins. We show here that both proteins can associate with membranes co- but not posttranslationally, and we perform a structure function analysis of A14 and A17 using inducible recombinants. In the absence of A14, electron-dense virosomes and distinct clusters of small vesicles accumulate; in the absence of A17, small vesicles form a corona around the virosomes. When the proteins are induced at 12 h postinfection (hpi), crescents appear at the periphery of the electron-dense virosomes, with the accumulated vesicles likely contributing to their formation. A variety of mutant alleles of A14 and A17 were tested for their ability to support virion assembly. For A14, biologically important motifs within the N-terminal or central loop region affected crescent maturation and the immature virion (IV)→mature virion (MV) transition. For A17, truncation or mutation of the N terminus of A17 engendered a phenotype consistent with the N terminus of A17 recruiting the D13 scaffold protein to nascent membranes. When N-terminal processing was abrogated, virions attempted to undergo the IV-to-MV transition without removing the D13 scaffold and were therefore noninfectious and structurally aberrant. Finally, we show that A17 is phosphorylated exclusively within the C-terminal tail and that this region is a direct substrate of the viral F10 kinase. In vivo, the biological competency of A17 was reduced by mutations that prevented its serine-threonine phosphorylation and restored by phosphomimetic substitutions. Precleavage of the C terminus or abrogation of its phosphorylation diminished the IV→MV maturation; a block to cleavage spared virion maturation but compromised the yield of infectious virus.

Vaccinia virus virion membrane biogenesis protein A11 associates with viral membranes in a manner that requires the expression of another membrane biogenesis protein, A6

A group of vaccinia virus (VACV) proteins, including A11, L2, and A6, are required for biogenesis of the primary envelope of VACV, specifically, for the acquisition of viral membrane precursors. However, the interconnection among these proteins is unknown and, with the exception of L2, the connection of these proteins with membranes is also unknown. In this study, prompted by the findings that A6 coprecipitated A11 and that the cellular distribution of A11 was dramatically altered by repression of A6 expression, we studied the localization of A11 in cells by using immunofluorescence and cell fractionation analysis. A11 was found to associate with membranes and colocalize with virion membrane proteins in viral replication factories during normal VACV replication. A11 partitioned almost equally between the detergent and aqueous phases upon Triton X-114 phase separation, demonstrating an intrinsic affinity with lipids. However, in the absence of infection or VACV late protein synthesis, A11 did not associate with cellular membranes. Furthermore, when A6 expression was repressed, A11 did not colocalize with any viral membrane proteins or associate with membranes. In contrast, when virion envelope formation was blocked at a later step by repression of A14 expression or by rifampin treatment, A11 colocalized with virion membrane proteins in the factories. Altogether, our data showed that A11 associates with viral membranes during VACV replication, and this association requires A6 expression. This study provides a physical connection between A11 and viral membranes and suggests that A6 regulates A11 membrane association.

Vaccinia virus L2 protein associates with the endoplasmic reticulum near the growing edge of crescent precursors of immature virions and stabilizes a subset of viral membrane proteins

The initial step in poxvirus morphogenesis, the formation of crescent membranes, occurs within cytoplasmic factories. L2 is one of several vaccinia virus proteins known to be necessary for formation of crescents and the only one synthesized early in infection. Virus replication was unaffected when the L2R open reading frame was replaced by L2R containing an N-terminal epitope tag while retaining the original promoter. L2 colocalized with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein calnexin throughout the cytoplasm of infected and transfected cells. Topological studies indicated that the N terminus of L2 is exposed to the cytoplasm with the hydrophobic C terminus anchored in the ER. Using immunogold labeling and electron microscopy, L2 was detected in tubular membranes outside factories and inside factories near crescents and close to the edge or rim of crescents; a similar labeling pattern was found for the ER luminal protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). The phenotype of L2 conditional lethal mutants and the localization of L2 suggest that it participates in elongation of crescents by the addition of ER membrane to the growing edge. Small amounts of L2 and PDI were detected within immature and mature virions, perhaps trapped during assembly. The repression of L2, as well as A11 and A17, two other proteins that are required for viral crescent formation, profoundly decreased the stability of a subset of viral membrane proteins including those comprising the entry-fusion complex. To avoid degradation, these unstable membrane proteins may need to directly insert into the viral membrane or be rapidly shunted there from the ER.

Insights into the evolution of a complex virus from the crystal structure of vaccinia virus D13

The morphogenesis of poxviruses such as vaccinia virus (VACV) sees the virion shape mature from spherical to brick-shaped. Trimeric capsomers of the VACV D13 protein form a transitory, stabilizing lattice on the surface of the initial spherical immature virus particle. The crystal structure of D13 reveals that this major scaffolding protein comprises a double β barrel "jelly-roll" subunit arranged as pseudo-hexagonal trimers. These structural features are characteristic of the major capsid proteins of a lineage of large icosahedral double-stranded DNA viruses including human adenovirus and the bacteriophages PRD1 and PM2. Structure-based phylogenetic analysis confirms that VACV belongs to this lineage, suggesting that (analogously to higher organism embryogenesis) early poxvirus morphogenesis reflects their evolution from a lineage of viruses sharing a common icosahedral ancestor.

Membrane remodeling by the double-barrel scaffolding protein of poxvirus

In contrast to most enveloped viruses, poxviruses produce infectious particles that do not acquire their internal lipid membrane by budding through cellular compartments. Instead, poxvirus immature particles are generated from atypical crescent-shaped precursors whose architecture and composition remain contentious. Here we describe the 2.6 Å crystal structure of vaccinia virus D13, a key structural component of the outer scaffold of viral crescents. D13 folds into two jellyrolls decorated by a head domain of novel fold. It assembles into trimers that are homologous to the double-barrel capsid proteins of adenovirus and lipid-containing icosahedral viruses. We show that, when tethered onto artificial membranes, D13 forms a honeycomb lattice and assembly products structurally similar to the viral crescents and immature particles. The architecture of the D13 honeycomb lattice and the lipid-remodeling abilities of D13 support a model of assembly that exhibits similarities with the giant mimivirus. Overall, these findings establish that the first committed step of poxvirus morphogenesis utilizes an ancestral lipid-remodeling strategy common to icosahedral DNA viruses infecting all kingdoms of life. Furthermore, D13 is the target of rifampicin and its structure will aid the development of poxvirus assembly inhibitors.

Poxviruses are arguably the largest viruses infecting humans. The unique brick-shape architecture of their infectious virus particles sets them apart from any other viral family in the virosphere. The infectious particles are produced through a series of assembly steps where intermediates of distinct composition and architecture can be identified. In particular, atypical crescent-shaped precursors of immature particles have generated much controversy regarding their structure and the origin of their lipidic membrane. Here, we used a combination of X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to investigate the role of a crucial structural component of viral crescents called D13. Our atomic structure of D13 firmly establishes an evolutionary link between poxviruses and a group of large DNA viruses. In addition, we show that, when tethered to artificial membranes, this protein assembles into a scaffold analogous to that in immature particles. The resulting pseudo-atomic model of the honeycomb lattice reveals similarities to the mimivirus, which suggests that giant viral shells use common assembly principles. Overall, our findings reveal that poxviruses utilize an ancestral lipid-remodeling strategy common to DNA viruses infecting all kingdoms of life. They also provide a basis for structure-based design of assembly inhibitors against poxvirus pathogens.

Pass the jelly rolls

The crystal structure of the vaccinia virus D13 protein presented by Bahar et al. in this issue of Structure displays fused "virus jelly roll" folds, ubiquitous among dsDNA icosahedral viruses. Although D13 is not present in the mature virus, its structure suggests its evolutionary descent from an ancient icosahedral ancestor.

Vaccinia virus lacking A17 induces complex membrane structures composed of open membrane sheets

The vaccinia virus (VACV) precursor membrane, the crescent, consists of an open membrane sheet and is formed by rupture of a cellular compartment. Here, we asked whether A17, a viral membrane protein, plays a role in membrane rupture. Without A17 synthesis, crescents are not formed, and instead, tubular and vesicular membranes accumulate (Rodriguez et al. in J Virol 69:4640-4648, 1). We used electron tomography (ET) to analyze whether the viral membranes lacking A17 consist of open membrane sheets. Tubular, vesicular and so far not described onion-shaped membranes, which consisted of open membrane sheets, were seen. Thus, the data show that membrane rupture occurs independently of the A17 protein.

Participation of vaccinia virus l2 protein in the formation of crescent membranes and immature virions

Morphogenesis of vaccinia virus begins with the appearance of crescent-shaped membrane precursors of immature virions in cytoplasmic factories. During the initial characterization of the product of the L2R reading frame, we discovered that it plays an important role in crescent formation. The L2 protein was expressed early in infection and was associated with the detergent-soluble membrane fraction of mature virions, consistent with two potential membrane-spanning domains. All chordopoxviruses have L2 homologs, suggesting an important function. Indeed, we were unable to isolate an infectious L2R deletion mutant. Consequently, we constructed an inducible mutant with a conditional lethal phenotype. When L2 expression was repressed, proteolytic processing of the major core proteins and the A17 protein, which is an essential component of the immature virion membrane, failed to occur, suggesting an early block in viral morphogenesis. At 8 h after infection in the presence of inducer, immature and mature virions were abundantly seen by electron microscopy. In contrast, those structures were rare in the absence of inducer and were replaced by large, dense aggregates of viroplasm. A minority of these aggregates had short spicule-coated membranes, which resembled the beginnings of crescent formation, at their periphery. These short membrane segments at the edge of the dense viroplasm increased in number at later times, and some immature virions were seen. Although the L2 protein was not detected under nonpermissive conditions, minute amounts could account for stunted and delayed viral membrane formation. These findings suggested that L2 is required for the formation or elongation of crescent membranes.

African swine fever virus protein p17 is essential for the progression of viral membrane precursors toward icosahedral intermediates

The first morphological evidence of African swine fever virus (ASFV) assembly is the appearance of precursor viral membranes, thought to derive from the endoplasmic reticulum, within the assembly sites. We have shown previously that protein p54, a viral structural integral membrane protein, is essential for the generation of the viral precursor membranes. In this report, we study the role of protein p17, an abundant transmembrane protein localized at the viral internal envelope, in these processes. Using an inducible virus for this protein, we show that p17 is essential for virus viability and that its repression blocks the proteolytic processing of polyproteins pp220 and pp62. Electron microscopy analyses demonstrate that when the infection occurs under restrictive conditions, viral morphogenesis is blocked at an early stage, immediately posterior to the formation of the viral precursor membranes, indicating that protein p17 is required to allow their progression toward icosahedral particles. Thus, the absence of this protein leads to an accumulation of these precursors and to the delocalization of the major components of the capsid and core shell domains. The study of ultrathin serial sections from cells infected with BA71V or the inducible virus under permissive conditions revealed the presence of large helicoidal structures from which immature particles are produced, suggesting that these helicoidal structures represent a previously undetected viral intermediate.

Congregation of orthopoxvirus virions in cytoplasmic A-type inclusions is mediated by interactions of a bridging protein (A26p) with a matrix protein (ATIp) and a virion membrane-associated protein (A27p)

Some orthopoxviruses, e.g., the cowpox, ectromelia, and raccoonpox viruses, form large, discrete cytoplasmic inclusions within which mature virions (MVs) are embedded by a process called occlusion. These inclusions, which may protect occluded MVs in the environment, are composed of aggregates of the A-type inclusion protein (ATIp), which is truncated in orthopoxviruses such as vaccinia virus (VACV) and variola virus that fail to form inclusions. In addition to an intact ATIp, occlusion requires the A26 protein (A26p). Although VACV contains a functional A26p, determined by complementation of a cowpox virus occlusion-defective mutant, its role in occlusion was unknown. We found that restoration of the full-length ATI gene was sufficient for VACV inclusion formation and the ensuing occlusion of MVs. A26p was present in inclusions even when virion assembly was inhibited, suggesting a direct interaction of A26p with ATIp. Analysis of a panel of ATIp mutants indicated that the C-terminal repeat region was required for inclusion formation and the N-terminal domain for interaction with A26p and occlusion. A26p is tethered to MVs via interaction with the A27 protein (A27p); A27p was not required for association of A26p with ATIp but was necessary for occlusion. In addition, the C-terminal domain of A26p, which mediates A26p-A27p interactions, was necessary but insufficient for occlusion. Taken together, the data suggest a model for occlusion in which A26p has a bridging role between ATIp and A27p, and A27p provides a link to the MV membrane.

Lipid membranes in poxvirus replication

Poxviruses replicate in the cytoplasm, where they acquire multiple lipoprotein membranes. Although a proposal that the initial membrane arises de novo has not been substantiated, there is no accepted explanation for its formation from cellular membranes. A subsequent membrane-wrapping step involving modified trans-Golgi or endosomal cisternae results in a particle with three membranes. These wrapped virions traverse the cytoplasm on microtubules; the outermost membrane is lost during exocytosis, the middle one is lost just prior to cell entry, and the remaining membrane fuses with the cell to allow the virus core to enter the cytoplasm and initiate a new infection.

Poxvirus proteomics and virus-host protein interactions

Studies of the functional proteins encoded by the poxvirus genome provide information about the composition of the virus as well as individual virus-virus protein and virus-host protein interactions, which provides insight into viral pathogenesis and drug discovery. Widely used proteomic techniques to identify and characterize specific protein-protein interactions include yeast two-hybrid studies and coimmunoprecipitations. Recently, various mass spectrometry techniques have been employed to identify viral protein components of larger complexes. These methods, combined with structural studies, can provide new information about the putative functions of viral proteins as well as insights into virus-host interaction dynamics. For viral proteins of unknown function, identification of either viral or host binding partners provides clues about their putative function. In this review, we discuss poxvirus proteomics, including the use of proteomic methodologies to identify viral components and virus-host protein interactions. High-throughput global protein expression studies using protein chip technology as well as new methods for validating putative protein-protein interactions are also discussed.