Degradation and aggresome formation of the Gn tail of the apathogenic Tula hantavirus

J Gen Virol. 2009 Dec;90(Pt 12):2995-3001. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.012179-0. Epub 2009 Aug 12.

Abstract

The cytoplasmic tails of envelope glycoprotein Gn of pathogenic hantaviruses but not of the apathogenic Prospect Hill virus (PHV) were recently reported to be proteasomally degraded in simian COS7 cells. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic tails of the glycoproteins of the apathogenic hantaviruses Tula virus (TULV) and PHV are also degraded through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, both in human HEK-293 and in simian Vero E6 cells. TULV Gn tails formed aggresomes in cells with proteasomal inhibitors. We conclude that degradation upon aggregation of Gn tails, which may represent a general cellular response to misfolded protein used by hantaviruses to control maturation of virions, is unrelated to pathogenicity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Epithelial Cells / virology
  • Gene Products, env / genetics
  • Gene Products, env / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies, Viral / metabolism*
  • Kidney / cytology
  • Kidney / virology
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Orthohantavirus / metabolism
  • Orthohantavirus / pathogenicity*
  • Orthohantavirus / physiology
  • Orthohantavirus / ultrastructure
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / metabolism
  • Transfection
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism
  • Vero Cells / virology

Substances

  • Gene Products, env
  • Ubiquitin
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex