Alteration of the actin-based cytoskeleton by rabies virus.
We investigated the effect of rabies virus infection on the actin cytoskeleton using various techniques. Confocal microscopic examination of rabies virus-infected neuroblastoma cells at late stages of infection revealed a dramatic decrease in F-actin staining. The results of a fluorimetric assay with pyrenylated actin indicated that purified rabies virus nucleocapsid has no direct action on the kinetics of actin polymerization and only a weak effect on the final extent of polymerization. Video-microscopy experiments with purified components showed that rabies virus nucleocapsid inhibits the actin-bundling effect induced by dephospho-synapsin I, a neuron-specific protein which is known to exert a control on the actin-based cytoskeleton. Thus, the observed decrease in F-actin staining in infected cells might be ascribed to an indirect action of rabies nucleocapsid on the effects of actin-binding proteins such as synapsin I.
Ceccaldi
P E
PE
Rabies Unit, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France. pececcal@pasteur.fr
Valtorta
F
F
Braud
S
S
Hellio
R
R
Tsiang
H
H
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000473:pathology*; D019281:Dimerization; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011818:Rabies / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011820:Rabies virus; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000199:Actins