title: Infection of naive target cells with virus-like particles: implications for the function of ebola virus VP24.
abstract: Infectious virus-like particle (iVLP) systems have recently been established for several negative-strand RNA viruses, including the highly pathogenic Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV), and allow study of the viral life cycle under biosafety level 2 conditions. However, current systems depend on the expression of viral helper nucleocapsid proteins in target cells, thus making it impossible to determine whether ribonucleoprotein complexes transferred by iVLPs are able to facilitate initial transcription, an indispensable step in natural infection. Here we describe a ZEBOV iVLP system which overcomes this limitation and show that VP24 is essential for the formation of a functional ribonucleoprotein complex.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoenen
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Groseth
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kolesnikova
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Theriault
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebihara
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hartlieb
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bamberg
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ströher
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; C446938:VP24 protein, Ebola virus; D014764:Viral Proteins