title: Secretion of fowl plague virus haemagglutinin from insect cells requires elimination of both hydrophobic domains.
abstract: In the present study we have investigated the role of the hydrophobic domains of the fowl plague virus (FPV) haemagglutinin (HA) on its intracellular transport and maturation in insect cells. To this end processing of full-length HA (A+) has been compared to that of two truncated forms lacking either the cytoplasmic domain and the transmembrane domain (A-) or lacking the entire HA2 subunit, i.e. the transmembrane domain and the fusion peptide (HA2-). All glycosylation sites present on A- and HA2- were glycosylated, indicating that both truncated forms were completely translocated in the endoplasmic reticulum. Unlike A+, A- and HA2- did not form trimers as indicated by cross-linking, gradient centrifugation and studies employing conformation-specific antibodies. Whereas HA2- was efficiently secreted, A- was retained in the cells in an apparently membrane-bound form. The data show that the carboxy-terminal transmembrane region is essential for the formation and stability of the trimers of the FPV HA. These observations also indicate that, under certain conditions, the fusion peptide of the FPV HA can serve as a membrane anchor.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kretzschmar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veit
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brunschön
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Klenk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006031:Glycosylation; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007313:Insecta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D010450:Endopeptidases