title: The membrane-proximal stem region of vesicular stomatitis virus G protein confers efficient virus assembly.
abstract: In this report, we show that the glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV G) contains within its extracellular membrane-proximal stem (GS) a domain that is required for efficient VSV budding. To determine a minimal sequence in GS that provides for high-level virus assembly, we have generated a series of recombinant DeltaG-VSVs which express chimeric glycoproteins having truncated stem sequences. The recombinant viruses having chimeras with 12 or more membrane-proximal residues of the G stem, and including the G protein transmembrane-cytoplasmic tail domains, produced near-wild-type levels of particles. In contrast, viruses encoding chimeras with shorter or no G-stem sequences produced approximately 10- to 20-fold less. This budding domain when present in chimeric glycoproteins also promoted their incorporation into the VSV envelope. We suggest that the G-stem budding domain promotes virus release by inducing membrane curvature at sites where virus budding occurs or by recruiting condensed nucleocapsids to sites on the plasma membrane which are competent for efficient virus budding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tennessee-Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, USA.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Robison
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Whitt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000821:virology; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D019065:Virus Assembly; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins