title: Viral membrane penetration: lytic activity of a nodaviral fusion peptide.
abstract: The auto-cleavage product from the C-terminal part of the capsid protein of the flock house virus, namely the gamma(1) peptide, was used as a model peptide to characterize the initial steps of viral membrane penetration. Monolayers at the air-water interface were used to investigate the phase behaviour of ternary lipid-peptide mixtures, whereas solid-supported membranes were used to visualize the lytic activity of the gamma(1) peptide. 1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-phospatidylcholine/1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-phospatidylserine (4:1) membranes were used as negatively charged model membranes. By means of film balance techniques lipid/peptide discrimination was found resulting in a lipid-rich and a peptide-rich phase. Quartz crystal microbalance and scanning force microscopy experiments led to the conclusion of a detergent-like mechanism of the gamma(1) peptide resulting in mixed lipid-peptide micelles with a molar ratio of 2.8:1. A monolayer adsorption with an ongoing lysis of membranes was found with gamma(1) peptide molecules interacting at membrane defects.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biochemie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Strasse 2, 48149 Münster, Germany. gallah@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Galla
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000737:chemistry; D000388:Air; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008566:Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008823:Micelles; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008958:Models, Molecular; D030381:Nodaviridae / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000737:chemistry; D011312:Pressure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011791:Quartz; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D008055:Lipids; D008823:Micelles; D010455:Peptides; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D014867:Water; D011791:Quartz; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine; C038694:dipalmitoylphosphatidylserine