title: The metastable state of nucleocapsids of enveloped viruses as probed by high hydrostatic pressure.
abstract: Enveloped viruses fuse their membranes with cellular membranes to transfer their genomes into cells at the beginning of infection. What is not clear, however, is the role of the envelope (lipid bilayer and glycoproteins) in the stability of the viral particle. To address this question, we compared the stability between enveloped and nucleocapsid particles of the alphavirus Mayaro using hydrostatic pressure and urea. The effects were monitored by intrinsic fluorescence, light scattering, and binding of fluorescent dyes, including bis(8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate) and ethidium bromide. Pressure caused a drastic dissociation of the nucleocapsids as determined by tryptophan fluorescence, light scattering, and gel filtration chromatography. Pressure-induced dissociation of the nucleocapsids was poorly reversible. In contrast, when the envelope was present, pressure effects were much less marked and were highly reversible. Binding of ethidium bromide occurred when nucleocapsids were dissociated under pressure, indicating exposure of the nucleic acid, whereas enveloped particles underwent no changes. Overall, our results demonstrate that removal of the envelope with the glycoproteins leads the particle to a metastable state and, during infection, may serve as the trigger for disassembly and delivery of the genome. The envelope acts as a "Trojan horse," gaining entry into the host cell to allow release of a metastable nucleocapsid prone to disassembly.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Biologia Estrutural, Departamento de Bioquimica Médica, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro Nacional de Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Macromoléculas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Terezan
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Foguel
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rebello
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000524:Alphavirus / Q000378:metabolism; D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006224:Cricetinae; D004996:Ethidium / Q000494:pharmacology; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000494:pharmacology; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D011485:Protein Binding; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000817:Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; C035763:5,5'-bis(8-(phenylamino)-1-naphthalenesulfonate); D014364:Tryptophan; D014508:Urea; D004996:Ethidium