title: Fusogenic segments of bovine leukemia virus and simian immunodeficiency virus are interchangeable and mediate fusion by means of oblique insertion in the lipid bilayer of their target cells.
abstract: Modified bovine leukemia virus (BLV) glycoproteins were expressed by using vaccinia virus recombinants, and their fusogenic capacities were examined by a syncytia-formation assay. This analysis indicates that (i) both BLV envelope glycoproteins gp51 and gp30 are necessary for cell fusion; (ii) insertion of the N-terminal segment of gp30 (fusion peptide) into the lipid bilayer in an oblique orientation, as predicted by computer conformational analysis, results in fusogenic capacities higher than insertion in a perpendicular or parallel orientation; and (iii) replacement of the BLV fusion peptide with its simian immunodeficiency virus counterpart does not modify the fusogenic capacity of the BLV glycoprotein.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agronomy, Gembloux, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vonèche
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Portetelle
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kettmann
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Limbach
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ruysschaert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burny
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brasseur
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D001909:Leukemia Virus, Bovine / Q000502:physiology*; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins