Effect of zinc ions on the biochemical behavior of simian virus 40 small-t antigen expressed in bacteria

Iron‑sulfur clusters in viral proteins: Exploring their elusive nature, roles and new avenues for targeting infections

Viruses have evolved complex mechanisms to exploit host factors for replication and assembly. In response, host cells have developed strategies to block viruses, engaging in a continuous co-evolutionary battle. This dynamic interaction often revolves around the competition for essential resources necessary for both host cell and virus replication. Notably, iron, required for the biosynthesis of several cofactors, including iron‑sulfur (FeS) clusters, represents a critical element in the ongoing competition for resources between infectious agents and host. Although several recent studies have identified FeS cofactors at the core of virus replication machineries, our understanding of their specific roles and the cellular processes responsible for their incorporation into viral proteins remains limited. This review aims to consolidate our current knowledge of viral components that have been characterized as FeS proteins and elucidate how viruses harness these versatile cofactors to their benefit. Its objective is also to propose that viruses may depend on incorporation of FeS cofactors more extensively than is currently known. This has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of viral replication, thereby carrying significant implications for the development of strategies to target infections.

The Oncogenic Small Tumor Antigen of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Is an Iron-Sulfur Cluster Protein That Enhances Viral DNA Replication

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) plays an important role in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). MCPyV small T (sT) antigen has emerged as the key oncogenic driver in MCC carcinogenesis. It has also been shown to promote MCPyV LT-mediated replication by stabilizing LT. The importance of MCPyV sT led us to investigate sT functions and to identify potential ways to target this protein. We discovered that MCPyV sT purified from bacteria contains iron-sulfur (Fe/S) clusters. Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis showed that MCPyV sT coordinates a [2Fe-2S] and a [4Fe-4S] cluster. We also observed phenotypic conservation of Fe/S coordination in the sTs of other polyomaviruses. Since Fe/S clusters are critical cofactors in many nucleic acid processing enzymes involved in DNA unwinding and polymerization, our results suggested the hypothesis that MCPyV sT might be directly involved in viral replication. Indeed, we demonstrated that MCPyV sT enhances LT-mediated replication in a manner that is independent of its previously reported ability to stabilize LT. MCPyV sT translocates to nuclear foci containing actively replicating viral DNA, supporting a direct role for sT in promoting viral replication. Mutations of Fe/S cluster-coordinating cysteines in MCPyV sT abolish its ability to stimulate viral replication. Moreover, treatment with cidofovir, a potent antiviral agent, robustly inhibits the sT-mediated enhancement of MCPyV replication but has little effect on the basal viral replication driven by LT alone. This finding further indicates that MCPyV sT plays a direct role in stimulating viral DNA replication and introduces cidofovir as a possible drug for controlling MCPyV infection.

IMPORTANCE

MCPyV is associated with a highly aggressive form of skin cancer in humans. Epidemiological surveys for MCPyV seropositivity and sequencing analyses of healthy human skin suggest that MCPyV may represent a common component of the human skin microbial flora. However, much of the biology of the virus and its oncogenic ability remain to be investigated. In this report, we identify MCPyV sT as a novel Fe/S cluster protein and show that conserved cysteine clusters are important for sT's ability to enhance viral replication. Moreover, we show that sT sensitizes MCPyV replication to cidofovir inhibition. The discovery of Fe/S clusters in MCPyV sT opens new avenues to the study of the structure and functionality of this protein. Moreover, this study supports the notion that sT is a potential drug target for dampening MCPyV infection.

Small tumor antigen of polyomaviruses: role in viral life cycle and cell transformation

The regulatory proteins of polyomaviruses, including small and large T antigens, play important roles, not only in the viral life cycle but also in virus-induced cell transformation. Unlike many other tumor viruses, the transforming proteins of polyomaviruses have no cellular homologs but rather exert their effects mostly by interacting with cellular proteins that control fundamental processes in the regulation of cell proliferation and the cell cycle. Thus, they have proven to be valuable tools to identify specific signaling pathways involved in tumor progression. Elucidation of these pathways using polyomavirus transforming proteins as tools is critically important in understanding fundamental regulatory mechanisms and hence to develop effective therapeutic strategies against cancer. In this short review, we will focus on the structural and functional features of one polyomavirus transforming protein, that is, the small t-antigen of the human neurotropic JC virus (JCV) and the simian virus, SV40.

Structural basis of PP2A inhibition by small t antigen

The SV40 small t antigen (ST) is a potent oncoprotein that perturbs the function of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). ST directly interacts with the PP2A scaffolding A subunit and alters PP2A activity by displacing regulatory B subunits from the A subunit. We have determined the crystal structure of full-length ST in complex with PP2A A subunit at 3.1 Å resolution. ST consists of an N-terminal J domain and a C-terminal unique domain that contains two zinc-binding motifs. Both the J domain and second zinc-binding motif interact with the intra-HEAT-repeat loops of HEAT repeats 3–7 of the A subunit, which overlaps with the binding site of the PP2A B56 subunit. Intriguingly, the first zinc-binding motif is in a position that may allow it to directly interact with and inhibit the phosphatase activity of the PP2A catalytic C subunit. These observations provide a structural basis for understanding the oncogenic functions of ST.

The study of how DNA tumor viruses induce malignant transformation has led to the identification of key pathways that also play a role in spontaneously arising cancers. One such virus, simian virus 40 (SV40), produces two proteins, the large T and small t antigens, that bind and inactivate tumor suppressor genes important for cell transformation. Specifically, SV40 small t antigen (ST) binds to and perturbs the function of the abundant protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). PP2A is a family of heterotrimeric enzymes, composed of a structural A subunit, a catalytic C subunit, and one of several regulatory B subunits. Here we have determined the structure of SV40 ST in complex with the PP2A structural subunit Aα. SV40 ST consists of an N-terminal J domain and a C-terminal unique domain that contains two separate zinc-binding motifs. SV40 ST binds to the same region of PP2A as the regulatory subunit B56, which provides a structural explanation for the displacement of regulatory B subunits by SV40 ST. Taken together, these observations provide a structural basis for understanding the oncogenic functions of ST.

The crystal structure of full-length SV40 small t antigen (ST) in complex with the A subunit of its target, protein phosphatase 2A, contributes to our understanding of the oncogenic functions of ST.

Molecular biology of malignant mesothelioma: a review

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an uncommon tumor with high mortality and morbidity rates. It arises from mesothelial cells that line the pleural, pericardial, peritoneal, and testicular cavities. This is a disease with an indolent course because tumors arise 20 to 40 years after exposure to an inciting agent. Extensive research has shown that mesothelial cells are transformed into MM cells through various chromosomal and cellular pathway defects. These changes alter the normal cells' ability to survive, proliferate, and metastasize. This article discusses the alterations that occur in transforming normal mesothelial cells into MM. It also details some of the signal transduction pathways that seem to be important in MM with the potential for novel targeted therapeutics.

The role of the SV40 ST antigen in cell growth promotion and transformation

The simian virus 40 small-t (ST) antigen plays a key role in permissive and nonpermissive infections, increasing virus yields in lytic cycles of primate cells and enhancing the ability of large-T (LT) to transform rodent or even human cells. In the absence of ST, tumors in rodent model systems appear primarily in lymphoid and other proliferative tissues and transformation is reduced in several in vitro systems. The functions of ST largely reflect its binding and inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A, although a recently described dnaJ domain also contributes to its biology. The dnaJ domain is present in LT and a third early gene product, the 17kT protein, for which a potential role in transformation deserves further evaluation.

Identification of structural elements involved in the interaction of simian virus 40 small tumor antigen with protein phosphatase 2A

SV40 small tumor antigen (small-t) was used as a model to identify structural elements involved in the interactions between regulatory proteins and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Using mutant proteins and synthetic peptides, we identified a small domain within small-t that is a major site for interaction with the dimeric form of PP2A. A series of small-t truncation mutants identified a region surrounding the first of two conserved cysteine clusters that was critical for interaction with PP2A. These mutants also identified additional regions of small-t that contribute to high affinity interaction. Deletion of residues 110-119, which encompass the first cysteine cluster, resulted in a protein that failed to bind to PP2A. Synthetic peptides that contained residues 105-122 of small-t blocked binding of small-t to PP2A. These peptides also inhibited the phosphatase activity of PP2A in a manner analogous to full-length small-t. The active small-t peptides adopt a beta-strand structure that was essential for high affinity interaction with the PP2A dimer. Based on circular dichroism measurements, the same cysteine cluster-containing peptides that bind to PP2A also interact with zinc. Interaction with zinc required the conserved cysteines but was not required for interaction with PP2A.

A novel simian virus 40 early-region domain mediates transactivation of the cyclin A promoter by small-t antigen and is required for transformation in small-t antigen-dependent assays

At least three regions of the simian virus 40 small-t antigen (small-t) contribute to the protein's ability to enhance cellular transformation. As we showed previously for rat F111 cells, one region includes sequences from residues 97 to 103 that are involved in the binding and inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A. In the present study, the role of the protein phosphatase 2A binding region was confirmed in two additional small-t-dependent transformation systems. Second, small-t was found to provide a function previously identified as a large-T transformation domain. Mutations in residues 19 to 28 of large-T affected its transforming ability, but these mutations were complemented by a wild-type small-t. A third region of small-t was also required for efficient transformation. This region, the 42-47 region, is shared by large-T and small-t and contains a conserved HPDKGG hexapeptide. The 42-47 region function could be provided by either small-t or large-T in small-t-dependent systems. Mutations in the 42-47 region reduced the ability of small-t to transactivate the cyclin A promoter, of interest because small-t increased endogenous cyclin A mRNA levels in both human and monkey cells, as well as transactivating the promoter in transient assays.

Simian virus 40 small-t antigen stimulates viral DNA replication in permissive monkey cells

The simian virus 40 (SV40) large-T antigen is essential for SV40 DNA replication and for late viral gene expression, but the role of the SV40 small-t antigen in these processes is still unclear. We have previously demonstrated that small t inhibits SV40 DNA replication in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effect of small t on SV40 replication in cultured cells. CV1 monkey cell infection experiments indicated that mutant viruses that lack small t replicate less efficiently than the wild-type virus. We next microinjected CV1 cells with SV40 DNA with and without purified small-t protein and analyzed viral DNA replication efficiency by Southern blotting. Replication of either wild-type SV40 or small-t deletion mutant DNA was increased three- to fivefold in cells coinjected with purified small t. Thus, in contrast to our in vitro observation, small t stimulated viral DNA replication in vivo. This result suggests that small t has cellular effects that are not detectable in a reconstituted in vitro replication system. We also found that small t stimulated progression of permissive monkey cells--but not of nonpermissive rodent cells--from G0-G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle, possibly leading to an optimal intracellular environment for viral replication.

Mutations which affect the inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A by simian virus 40 small-t antigen in vitro decrease viral transformation

Three independent point mutations within residues 97 to 103 of the simian virus 40-small-t antigen (small-t) greatly reduced the ability of purified small-t to inhibit protein phosphatase 2A in vitro. These mutations affected the interaction of small-t antigen with the protein phosphatase 2A A subunit translated in vitro, and a peptide from the region identified by these mutations released the A subunit from immune complexes. When introduced into virus, the mutations eliminated the ability of small-t to enhance viral transformation of growth-arrested rat F111 cells. In contrast, the mutant small-t antigens were unimpaired in the transactivation of the adenovirus E2 promoter, an activity which was reduced by a double mutation in small-t residues 43 and 45.

Simian virus 40 small-t antigen binds two zinc ions

Six cysteine residues of the simian virus 40 small-t antigen (small-t) are important for stability of the protein. Stability has been shown to be related to the ability of small-t to bind zinc ions in vitro. Purified small-t expressed either in bacteria or from baculovirus vectors binds two molecules of zinc per molecule of protein. Thus, small-t may resemble GAL4, which contains a Zn(II)2Cys6 binuclear cluster.

Mutation of a cysteine residue in polyomavirus middle T antigen abolishes interactions with protein phosphatase 2A, pp60c-src, and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, activation of c-fos expression, and cellular transformation

Polyomavirus middle T antigen (MT) interacts with several cellular proteins involved in cell proliferation. MT forms complexes with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), pp60c-src (and the related kinases c-fyn and c-yes), and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase. We made a single point mutation in MT, changing a conserved cysteine residue at position 120 to tryptophan, and characterized the biochemical and biological properties of the mutant (C120W) protein. The mutant MT protein does not associate with PP2A, pp60c-src, or phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase as judged by coimmunoprecipitation and associated phosphatase or kinase activity. The C120W mutant is defective in activation of c-fos expression and in morphological transformation of NIH 3T3 cells.

Identification of binding sites on the regulatory A subunit of protein phosphatase 2A for the catalytic C subunit and for tumor antigens of simian virus 40 and polyomavirus

Protein phosphatase 2A is composed of three subunits: the catalytic subunit C and two regulatory subunits, A and B. The A subunit consists of 15 nonidentical repeats and has a rodlike shape. It is associated with the B and C subunits as well as with the simian virus 40 small T, polyomavirus small T, and polyomavirus medium T tumor antigens. We determined the binding sites on subunit A for subunit C and tumor antigens by site-directed mutagenesis of A. Twenty-four N- and C-terminal truncations and internal deletions of A were assayed by coimmunoprecipitation for their ability to bind C and tumor antigens. It was found that C binds to repeats 11 to 15 at the C terminus of A, whereas T antigens bind to overlapping but distinct regions of the N terminus. Simian virus 40 small T binds to repeats 3 to 6, and polyomavirus small T and medium T bind to repeats 2 to 8. The data suggest cooperativity between C and T antigens in binding to A. This is most apparent for medium T antigen, which can only bind to those A subunit molecules that provide the entire binding region for the C subunit. We infer from our results that B also binds to N-terminal repeats. A model of the small T/medium T/B-A-C complexes is presented.

Identification of binding sites on the regulatory A subunit of protein phosphatase 2A for the catalytic C subunit and for tumor antigens of simian virus 40 and polyomavirus

Protein phosphatase 2A is composed of three subunits: the catalytic subunit C and two regulatory subunits, A and B. The A subunit consists of 15 nonidentical repeats and has a rodlike shape. It is associated with the B and C subunits as well as with the simian virus 40 small T, polyomavirus small T, and polyomavirus medium T tumor antigens. We determined the binding sites on subunit A for subunit C and tumor antigens by site-directed mutagenesis of A. Twenty-four N- and C-terminal truncations and internal deletions of A were assayed by coimmunoprecipitation for their ability to bind C and tumor antigens. It was found that C binds to repeats 11 to 15 at the C terminus of A, whereas T antigens bind to overlapping but distinct regions of the N terminus. Simian virus 40 small T binds to repeats 3 to 6, and polyomavirus small T and medium T bind to repeats 2 to 8. The data suggest cooperativity between C and T antigens in binding to A. This is most apparent for medium T antigen, which can only bind to those A subunit molecules that provide the entire binding region for the C subunit. We infer from our results that B also binds to N-terminal repeats. A model of the small T/medium T/B-A-C complexes is presented.